SEATTLE — One person is dead and one is in custody following a shooting at Ingraham High School Tuesday morning.
An emergency call came in at 9:55 a.m. on Tuesday. It drew every available officer to campus – parents followed soon after. Families then stayed in the parking lot for hours to reunite with their children.
Many parents credited their children for keeping them informed via text message.
"It's horrifying when you hear and you can't do anything, you just hear all the news from everywhere, but you don't know what exactly. So, good thing she was able to communicate with me and message me, text me and keep updating me so I knew she was fine. But it's just so good to get her," one mother said.
According to Seattle police, officers were in the building four minutes after receiving a 911 call for help – moments later, officers performed CPR on the victim.
Police said the shooter left the building which triggered a large search. Ultimately, officers with the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol and King County Sheriff's deputies arrested the shooter. Law enforcement found a pistol in the suspect's backpack, but police don't know if it was the murder weapon.
Students recall the moments after shots were fired inside the school.
"Everything happened so fast. No student or teacher had time to react to what happened. We all just kind of experienced it in real life. No cameras, no phones, or nothing," Ingraham High School senior Dreiven Hiquiana said.
Other students said they didn't know if it was a drill or a real threat.
"My teachers got scared, started closing the door, this one other kid tried to come back in the class, so we opened the door for him and he came in and we just had a whole procedure for lockdown," one student said.
A a memorial was created outside Ingraham High School on Wednesday.
“You would be grateful if your child walked out,” said Cynthia Bartanen who lives near Ingraham High School. “You know, every parent would be. Unfortunately, some of them didn’t.”
Bartanen has been the eyes and ears of this block located near the high school for 35 years.
But she’s never seen anything like what unfolded Tuesday.
“It was just a zoo,” said Bartanen. “There were cars everywhere going up and down the street, people trying to find places to park.”
Bartanen along with many other neighbors did everything they could to help the hundreds of concerned parents that arrived just outside their doors, rushing to find their children.
“I was telling people they could pull in and park, so we were just trying to accommodate whatever we could do. I know my sister-in-law even brought somebody some tea or something to their car,” said Bartanen. “We just did what we could as a neighborhood with the situation that was presented to us.”
And just next door is Rachel McGrew, “Nothing can emotionally ever prepare you for something like this.”
She and her husband just moved into a home next door to Bartanen three months ago. They also allowed parents to park in their driveway, putting themselves in their shoes. “I don’t have children yet, and they would go to Ingraham, and we wouldn’t be able to protect them in that moment, was definitely the hardest thing to kind of process through,” said McGrew.
McGrew says she still loves her new neighborhood and believes Tuesday’s tragedy will hopefully bring the community closer together.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell tweeted that "schools must be safe havens for our youth."
Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal released a statement that read:
"I am deeply saddened by the gun violence that took place at one of our high schools this morning, tragically taking the life of one of our students. School is a sacred place of learning, opportunity and growth, and my heart is broken for the students, families and employees of Ingraham High School and Seattle Public Schools. I am grateful for the rapid response by the Seattle Police Department as well as their efforts to share information as soon as it becomes available. The OSPI team has remained in contact with the school district and we are coordinating with local partners to provide support to Ingraham High's students, families and staff over the coming days and weeks. To the Seattle community: Washington state is standing with you in love and support."
According to Seattle Public Schools, there will be no class on Wednesday or Thursday but the Coordinated School Health team will be available to support students on campus.
A vigil was held for the community on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Haller Lake United Methodist Church.