New Delhi:
Shot in her hand and neck as her brother went on a shooting spree, an 11-year-old girl in Washington escape death by playing dead as he inspected the bodies of their family members.
The mass shooting left five members of a Washington state family dead early Monday morning.
The 15-year-old brother, charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, allegedly targeted their family in a sequence of violent events. According to the girl’s testimony, she woke up to gunshots and discovered a nightmarish scene. She saw her father Mark Humiston and her nine-year-old brother bloody and lifeless in the hallway. Her seven-year-old sister, who walked out of their shared bedroom, was shot moments later, CNN reported.
Despite her injuries, the girl told investigators she recognised both the shooter – her older brother – and the weapon, a silver Glock handgun that belonged to their father. Court documents said that the girl, wounded in her neck and hand, pretended to be dead as her brother examined the bodies. When he eventually left the room, she escaped through a fire window and ran to a nearby house, where neighbours dialled 911 shortly after 5 am.
Minutes earlier, the 15-year-old had made his own 911 call, claiming he was hiding in a bathroom and alleging his 13-year-old brother had committed the shooting before taking his own life. He suggested that his younger brother’s recent trouble over online content might have driven the incident.
Prosecutors are pushing to transfer the case to adult court, where he could face a life sentence if convicted. His attorney, Amy Parker, reminded the public that “these are not proven facts, merely allegations,” noting, “the law presumes our client is innocent of these charges.”
Court documents reveal that investigators believe the accused “systematically” killed his parents, two brothers and sister, then staged the crime scene before first responders arrived. The 11-year-old survivor reportedly indicated that he was the only sibling who knew the lockbox combination for their father’s firearm.
Following medical treatment, the girl has been discharged and is now in the care of a family member, while her brother remains in custody under a court order, barring him from contacting his surviving sister.
