EVERETT, Wash. — Everett police are investigating after a car reportedly struck five bystanders, killing three of them early Saturday morning.
The incident reportedly began after the car fled from police outside of Everett. Everett police said the fatal collision happened in the 11700 block of Airport Road around 1 a.m.
Five bystanders were reportedly struck by the car and three died at the scene. The two other bystanders were transported to Providence Hospital.
A witness, Lisa Hutchinson, says the deadly crash is haunting her.
“Every time I try to go to sleep, I see that car coming at us,” Hutchinson said. “We just barely got out of the way.”
Hutchinson said she knew and loved the people who were hurt and killed.
"A lot of the kids call me and my husband mom and dad because they either didn’t have parents or came from a broken home,” she said.
CJ Hawley, a public information officer with the Everett Police Department, said the group was likely sleeping when the unthinkable happened.
"I wouldn't call it a homeless encampment, per se. It's nothing permanent or fixated. It is pretty transient,” said the officer.
He said it was just after midnight when Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputies tried to pull the car over.
They sped away from deputies, according to Hawley. He said they lost control of the car.
"There was no pursuit. Witnesses on scene did not report seeing a pursuit," said Hawley. "Tragically, where that car left the road, there were a handful of people that were kind of bedded down for the night sleeping."
After the crash happened, Hutchinson said she was checking on everyone. Her husband was helping police go after the people in the car.
“My husband was able to help police catch one of them,” she said.
Meanwhile, the things that are left behind, including shoes, a backpack, and Dawn dish soap, paint a chilling picture -- not only about what happened -- but also of the greater issue of the housing crisis in the city of Everett.
"It's sad. Very, very sad," said one woman we spoke to. She said she knows first-hand about the dangers that come with being unhoused. She herself is experiencing homelessness, but said local shelters are full.
"The more homelessness there are, the more the beds fill up, you know?" she said.
Last year in Snohomish County, homelessness was at the highest it had been since 2012, according to a county report.
That is only further motivating investigators to find justice for the five victims.
"We owe it to the families of the victims, to complete this case accurately," said Hawley.
The car at fault had "three or four" people in it at the time of the fatal crash, said Hawley. While police were able to catch three of them, Hawley said, "They were released."
KING 5 asked why, and he responded, "Due to their age and state law."
Despite this, their brief detainment may prove critical to the investigation, Hawley said.
"Having an identity of these subjects is a big first step," said Hawley. "It's hard to maintain custody of somebody if you cannot prove they’re the driver.”
When or if their fact-finding mission leads to probable cause, the department will arrest the suspected driver.
However, the fact that the police let them go because of their ages and state law didn’t sit right with Hutchinson.
"If you're going to act like an adult, do adult things and take a life, then you need to pay for your crime like an adult does,” she said. “Just because we're homeless does not mean we're not human beings. Unfortunately, people don't treat us as such. They treat us like we're a parasite and we're not. We're humans, too. We have feelings."