Third Student Dies After Shooting Spree at Washington State High School
Fourteen-year-old Gia Soriano, one of the five victims in last Friday's deadly shooting rampage at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Wash. carried out by freshman Jaylen Fryberg, died late Sunday night, Providence Regional Medical Center confirms.
Dr. Joanne Roberts, chief medical officer at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash. read a statement prepared by Soriano's family at a press conference late Sunday.
"We are devastated by this senseless tragedy. Gia is our beautiful daughter and words cannot express how much we will miss her. We've made the decision to donate Gia's organs so that others may benefit. Our daughter was loving, kind and this gift honors her life."
Fryberg opened fire with a .40-caliber handgun in the school's cafeteria during a lunch period. He killed one student, Zoe Galasso, and left four others seriously injured; he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to the Associated Press, two students remain in critical condition; one is listed as in serious condition:
Of the wounded students, only 14-year-old Nate Hatch showed improvement, though he remained in serious condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Fifteen-year-old Andrew Fryberg also remained in critical condition in intensive care. Both are cousins of Jaylen Fryberg.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Shaylee Chuckulnaskit remained in critical condition in intensive care at Providence Regional Medical Center.
The New York Times reports that Megan Silberberger, a first-time social studies teacher at the school and just six weeks into the job, was witnessed by students attempting to stop Fryberg's attack:
Many students interviewed on Friday vividly remembered what happened after the initial shots were fired, as a woman grabbed Jaylen's arm — few knew the woman as Ms. Silberberger at the time, perhaps because she is still so new to the school. A few seconds later, they said, they saw Jaylen fall to the ground as he either turned the weapon on himself or shot himself accidentally in the struggle.
J.T. Torrey, 16, told the Seattle Times he was leaving his English class when he heard the gunshots.
"I never thought it'd be at my school," Torrey told the Seattle Times. "I probably won't go to that cafeteria for the rest of the year. It'd be eerie to go back."
