SEATTLE – The gun used by Marsyville-Pilchuck High School shooter Jaylen Fryberg to kill four classmates and himself last year was illegally purchased by his father, according to federal court documents.
Raymond Lee Fryberg, 42, appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon on unlawful possession of firearms.
Raymond Fryberg was under a permanent protection order from Tulalip Tribal Court after Raymond’s then-girlfriend claimed in 2002 that he had threatened and assaulted her.
In 2012, Raymond pleaded no contest after being charged with violating the order and was sentenced to a year of probation.
As part of the protection order, Raymond was not allowed to purchase firearms. But the court documents reveal that he purchased five firearms from a Cabela’s store in Tulalip, Wash., between January 2013 and July 2014. When he purchased the guns, he falsely indicated on the purchasing agreement that he was not under a protection order.
Investigators at the Marysville-Pilchuck shooting on October 24, 2014, later identified the gun that Jaylen Fryberg used – a Baretta PX4 Storm – as the one of the guns Raymond Fryberg purchased.
Jaylen Fryberg, 15, shot and killed his cousin Andrew Fryberg, 15; Gia Soriano, 14; Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14; and Zoe Galasso, 14 inside the school cafeteria. Jaylen also wounded 14-year-old Nate Hatch before turning the gun on himself.
Statement from Marysville superintendent Dr. Becky Berg:
“We are saddened by this morning’s news. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families, our students, staff and community as we continue through the long process of recovery. This is part of an ongoing investigation and all questions related to this matter should be deferred to the FBI.”
Statement from Cabela’s:
“Cabela’s strictly complies with federal, state and local laws regulating the sale of firearms. Cabela’s records indicate the transaction was processed in compliance with applicable regulations, including background checks.”
Statement from Tulalip Tribes Chairman Herman Williams
“The Tulalip Police Department continues to coordinate with federal authorities. It is not our policy to comment on an active investigation and at this time we have no further information to share. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be focused on the victims, their families, and the healing of our communities impacted by the Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting.”
The father of a Washington state high school student who killed four classmates and himself last fall was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge that he was barred from possessing the gun his son used in the shooting.
Raymond Lee Fryberg Jr., 42, faces one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. An FBI agent alleged in a criminal complaint that even though Fryberg was subject to a domestic violence protection order, he purchased five guns from a Cabela’s outdoor recreation store, including the Beretta pistol his son used in the shooting, by lying on a federal form.
Jaylen Fryberg, 15, a well-liked freshman who had recently been a Homecoming prince, inexplicably shot and killed four friends and wounded another last October after inviting them to lunch in the cafeteria at Marysville-Pilchuck High School north of Seattle.
“Our office has a long history of working with our federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners across Western Washington to prosecute those who illegally possess firearms,” Annette Hayes, the acting U.S. attorney in Seattle, said in a news release. “This case is part of that effort and a reminder that we are united in our commitment to get firearms out of the hands of those who pose the greatest risk to our communities.”
Fryberg was due to appear in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon. Federal court records did not indicate whether he had a lawyer.
According to the complaint, Fryberg’s then-girlfriend, the mother of one of his children, obtained a protection order against him in Tulalip Tribal Court in 2002, alleging that he had threatened her, slapped her and pulled her hair.
The order became permanent, and in September 2012, Fryberg entered a no-contest plea to a charge that he violated it. He was given a suspended sentence of six months and ordered again to comply with the terms of the order.
Just four months later, Fryberg went to a Cabela’s store on the Tulalip reservation and purchased the Beretta, the complaint said. He answered “no” on a federal form asking if he was subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking or threatening a child or intimate partner, and he answered the same when he filled out forms for the purchase of four other weapons at the store between January 2013 and July 2014, the complaint said.
State Sen. John McCoy, a member of the Tulalip Tribe, said he didn’t know Fryberg had been subject to a restraining order.
“That’s exceptionally troublesome to me,” McCoy said. “It points me to the issue we’ve been arguing about in the state, that people are not going to tell the truth when they fill out the forms to buy a gun, so maybe we should have a registry of people who are subject to these orders. That’ll be more fodder for discussion.”
Tulalip member Robert “Wachadup” and Lisa Monger performed a traditional healing song during the interfaith prayer service, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2014, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
MARYSVILLE – More than a hundred people attended an interfaith prayer service held in the Marysville-Pilchuck High School auditorium on Tuesday, February 24. The event, organized by Reverend Terry Kyllo with the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Marysville, and Father Pat Twohy, director of the Rocky Mountain Mission for the Northwest Jesuits and who has a lengthy history of chaplain services in the Tulalip community, was designed to bring together the diverse cultures represented in the Tulalip/ Marysville communities during this time of healing.
The event was held on the four-month anniversary of the October 24 shooting at the high school where Tulalip tribal member Jaylen Fryberg killed four of his classmates leaving behind one survivor, 14-year-old Nate Hatch, also his relative. Killed were 15-year-old Andrew Fryberg, also related to the shooter, Zoe Galasso, Gia Soriano and Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, all 14.
Faith leaders representing many traditions in and around Tulalip and Marysville including Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Baha’i and Unitarian welcomed Tulalip/ Marysville residents to a time of silence, prayer, encouraging words, and fellowship. Also in attendance were leaders from Tulalip Tribes, who offered a prayer of healing.
An interfaith prayer service was held for the Tulalip and Marysville Communities on the four-month anniversary of the Marysville- Pilchuck High School shooting, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
“I know when tensions arise in the community and when there is fear that grabs hold, and there is some violence of some kind, that people have a really strong tendency to scapegoat people that they think are different than them,” said Rev. Kyllo about the idea around the interfaith service. “I started work with the recovery team and proposed in December that we might put on an interfaith service as a way to honor and celebrate the diversity of the community.”
Kyllo reached out to Father Twohy, whom he had never met, about hosting an interfaith service. “I walked up to him and I said, ‘Father Twohy, I want to do an interfaith service because we are all human and some of us don’t know that.’ He immediately said, ‘Amen brother. I am with you, give me a call.’ So we began working on the service.”
Throughout the service faith leaders shared words of encouragement before offering a prayer. Afterwards each faith leader would place a candle on table creating a circle of light meant to represent the community.
“It has been a real testing time for our community and you have all been a part of that,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said to attendees. “I can tell you that I am so proud to live in a community like Tulalip/ Marysville. We really take care of one another.”
Marysville School District Superintendent Dr Becky Berg lists schools and communities around the globe who have experienced the same tragedy. A moment of silence was held for each one during an interfaith prayer service, Tuesday, Feb. 24,2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Echoing his sentiments Tulalip Tribes vice-chairman Les Parks spoke about Tulalip and Marysville’s continual support of one another. “When the mayor stands at my side here, to me it is a symbol of Marysville and the Tulalip people coming together as one community, and Dr. Berg represents all the students in the Marysville School District. To me it is important to remember why we are here. Four months ago this tragedy hit us and we lost four lives to a heinous crime, and we lost the shooter as well. We haven’t come to ask why this happened, because we will never understand why or what caused this to transpire. What we are going to do is share. We are going to cry together, grieve, heal and pray together. We are all in this together.”
Before the service concluded, a moment of silence was held for schools and communities around the world who have experienced the same type of tragedy.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring and Tulalip Tribes vice-chairman Les Parks speak about the two communities coming together to support one another following the shooting at the school on October 24, at an interfaith prayer service held, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Three candle were lit during the interfaith prayer service held in the MPHS auditorium, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. The candles symbolize the Tulalip, Marysville and the Marysville School District who have come together to support one another following the shooting. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Rev. Terry Kyllo, who organized the Feb. 24 interfaith prayer service, offers a prayer of healing during the event, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip Tribal member Natosha Gobin offered a prayer of healing for the communities in Lushootseed, the traditional language of the Snohomish people during interfaith prayer service held, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
The Marysville Getchell Choir performed two songs throughout the interfaith prayer service held, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Marysville, WA. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Jim Baker, Marysville School District finance director, hears input on the Marylsville-Pilchuck cafteria during a community meeting held, Monday, Dec. 11, 2014, at Cedarcrest Middle School. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
MARYSVILLE – “Our community has been shaken, shaken very hard by the events of October 24,” said new Recovery Directory Mary Schoenfeldt for the Marysville School District during a community meeting held on December 11, at Cedarcrest Middle School.
The meeting featured two topic agendas. For the first hour parents learned how to help their children process grief during the holidays. The remainder of the meeting focused on the future of the Marysville-Pilchuck High School cafeteria. Parents were able to voice their opinions during mini breakout sessions on what the school district should do to move forward.
The cafeteria was the location where 15-year-old Tulalip tribal member, Jaylen Fryberg, shot six students, killing five including himself. Since the October 24 incident the cafeteria has remained closed out of respect for students and the victims of the shooting. Now the school district is holding surveys asking the Marysville/Tulalip communities what they would like the future of the cafeteria to entail.
Before the breakout sessions, Schoenfeldt spoke to parents about depression and warning signs to look for in their children as the process of grief continues. “Your children will have a loss of concentration leading to short tempers or quick tempers. Watch for signs of grieving and depression in your children as suicide can become an issue.”
Schoenfeldt explained that students might have a hard time coping with the range of emotions that they are experiencing and may not know how to begin a conversation about how they are feeling. Many parents discussed the apprehension their children feel while at the school and trying to settle back into a routine. One mother expressed that her daughter texts frequently throughout the day as a way to cope and that she does not want to eat lunch at the school.
Marysville School District held a community meeting on Monday, Dec. 11, 2014, at Cedarcrest Middle School to hear community input on future of MPHS cafeteria. (Tulalip News/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
“Acknowledge that you are also having a hard time coping with your feelings. Acknowledging it with your child helps to make it a topic for discussion. Be available emotionally to your kids to listen to them,” said Schoenfeldt.
Following a brief Q&A with Schoenfeldt, parents were then invited to share their thoughts regarding the status of the cafeteria, which was built in 1970. The school district is seeking state funding to help rebuild the cafeteria.
Students temporarily are eating in the gym. “Right now we are just talking, where do we want the kids to eat? It can’t keep being at the gym forever,” said Dr. Becky Berg, Marysville School District Superintendent.
To decide if the cafeteria should be completely torn down or remodeled, the district had the community participate in a Thoughtexchange survey on the district’s website. “The intent is to get all our voice to the table and also include the students’ voices,” said Berg. The survey, which closed December 12, will be presented to the board.
“The intent of tonight, at this point, is to use these breakout sessions for those who haven’t been online yet and discuss possibilities that we haven’t considered,” said Berg.
Many participants expressed they would like to see the cafeteria radically changed in appearance so it would not be such a visible reminder of the October 24 event. Other suggestions included building in a new location, building in a contingency area or simply tearing it down.
The district is currently reviewing the surveys and waiting for funding approval. Berg remarked that while changes will take some time, it is being fast tracked for the students. “This will not be an overnight process. We are all first timers at this and hopefully last timers at this. Let’s keep talking and supporting each other.”
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
MARYSVILLE, Wash. (AP) – A detective investigating the shooting at a Marysville high school that left five teens dead says in court papers that the young shooter’s texts turned dark the week before he opened fire, with references to his funeral and the message: “Bang bang I’m dead.”
Moments before Jaylen Fryberg, 15, shot his fellow students Oct. 24 in the Marysville Pilchuck High School cafeteria, he texted more than a dozen relatives, describing what he wanted to wear at his funeral and who should get his personal possessions, the detective’s search warrant affidavit says.
The boy asked relatives to apologize to the families of his friends “who get caught up in the (expletive) tomorrow” – referring to the day after the shooting. He also sent texts in the previous days to a female friend talking about his death and funeral.
The popular teen fatally shot four friends he had invited to lunch and wounded a fifth teen before killing himself.
The victims are Gia Soriano, Zoe Galasso and Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, all 14, and Andrew Fryberg, 15. All were shot in the head. Nate Hatch, 14, was shot in the jaw and is recovering. Andrew Fryberg and Hatch are the shooter’s cousins.
Investigators have found no evidence to support a rumor that students had expressed concerns about Jaylen Fryberg to school authorities before the shooting, police spokeswoman Shari Ireton said Wednesday.
The Daily Herald of Everett obtained the Everett police detective’s affidavit, which provided details of the boy’s last text messages, but not their full contents. The detective had been seeking a judge’s permission to examine the boy’s cellphone. Multiple agencies are investigating the shooting and are sifting through hundreds of text messages and social media posts.
While the boy had publicly posted some angry messages on social media starting in late July, his posts otherwise were “pretty normal,” the detective wrote. The change began Oct. 18.
Detectives learned that he had been upset by something that happened between him and a 15-year-old identified in the affidavit only by her initials and described as a “close friend.”
Investigators know what happened between the two but decided against including specifics in the search warrant documents to protect her identity, court papers said.
On Oct. 18, Fryberg texted: “Ohk (sic) well don’t bother coming to my funeral.” The girl stopped responding and ignored other text messages. On Oct. 22, the boy texted: “I set the date. Hopefully you regret not talking to me,” ”You have no idea what I’m talking about. But you will” and “Bang bang I’m dead.” When the friend asked Fryberg to stop, he replied: “No. You don’t care. I don’t care.”
When she stopped responding, Fryberg tried to reach her through another friend. The morning of Oct. 24, Fryberg used Facebook to send that friend a picture of a gun sitting between his legs, court papers said. He told the friend to have the girl “call me before I do this.”
That message was sent minutes before the shooting started.
The detective met with two of Fryberg’s uncles the day of the shooting, the Daily Herald reported. One man said he and 13 other relatives received a text from the boy minutes before the gunfire. The message was titled: “My Funeral (expletive).”
Detectives later searched the boy’s room.
“My hope was that we could find a note or something that would help explain what happened,” the detective wrote. “Nothing of evidentiary value was located in Jaylen’s room.”
TULALIP RESERVATION, Wash. – John McCoy stood near Interstate 5 on Tuesday and reflected about what it meant to the reservation nearby.
“It was a curtain, definitely a curtain,” said the state senator and tribal leader, about how the road was viewed for years.
The highway was a geographic, and figurative, dividing line between the Tulalips and the rest of Snohomish County.
McCoy says that has changed as time evolved, but old fears have been re-ignited in the wake of the Marysville-Pilchuck shootings.
Shooter Jaylen Fryberg was raised by a well-respected Tulalip family, and according to McCoy, was being groomed to be a leader on the reservation.
“That’s what makes it really hurt. We felt he was on the right track and doing all the right things. So where did we go wrong, where did we go wrong,” said McCoy, who is close with Fryberg’s family and says they are still trying to process the tragedy.
Another tribal member, Andrew Gobin, wrote in The Herald of Everett that he knew Fryberg.
“This is not about gun control,” wrote Gobin. “This is not about how a community failed a young man, and it’s not about using his troubles to solve everyone’s problems.”
Yet, tensions are still high. On Tuesday, police were called to a high school on the reservation after a report of a threat. Police say the threat was unfounded, but stayed at the school for a majority of the day.
McCoy says he still sees hope that the event will not renew old beliefs.
“In times of stress like this, people say things. And you have to reassure them things will be okay and it will be like it’s been for the last few years,” he said. “It appears to me that the framework we’ve put together is holding solid. And everybody is talking about the community. Tulalip and Marysville are one community – the community.”
Jaylen Fryberg performs in his dance regalia during the Paddle to Squaxin Island, August 2012. Courtesy photo
By Andrew Gobin, Herald Writer
Herald writer Andrew Gobin is a member of the Tulalip Tribes and grew up on the reservation.
TULALIP — What do you say about a young man whose actions forever changed the lives of so many? You can seek rhyme and reason, you can analyze his troubles, you can gaze into the abyss of disbelief.
This is not about gun control, this is not about how a community failed a young man, and it’s not about using his troubles to solve everyone’s problems.
Strangers are telling Jaylen Fryberg’s story. Strangers who never met him.
What do you say about a boy? You say who he was.
Jaylen Fryberg came from a large, influential family on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. His grandfather, Ray Fryberg Sr., sat on the tribal council and is the director of Cultural and Natural Resources for the tribes. His grandmother, Sheryl Fryberg, was an executive with the tribes for many years, most recently the general manager of tribal government operations. His father, Ray Fryberg Jr., also works in Natural Resources for the tribes. His mother, Wendy Fryberg, a former Marysville School Board member, is deputy general manager for tribal government operations. He has two sisters, Tenika Fryberg and Mekyla Fryberg, and two brothers, Anthony Gobin and Julian Fryberg.
Jaylen was grounded in the traditions of the Snohomish people, his people, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. He was a star wrestling and football athlete since he was young, competing with his cousins. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, from a place where rites of passage include those skills.
Jaylen came from a traditional family with a strong presence not only at Tulalip, but with tribes up and down the Pacific Northwest coast. He sang and drummed with the men of his family, learning to lead the group at a young age. His father and grandfather were dedicated to grooming Jaylen to be a strong leader, like so many of his elders.
His great-grandmother, Della Hill, was a strong spiritual leader in the Shaker faith throughout Northwest reservations. That was a path Jaylen and others in his family followed.
As he grew, Jaylen learned to revere traditional dances, earning his dance shirt and feather headdress. The shirt is embroidered across the chest and along the sleeves with small paddles hand-carved from cedar. The paddles clacked as he danced. The shirt and headdress were presented to him by tribal elders who chose him to be a lead dancer. Along with these came the responsibility to carry on tribal traditions. He wore the dance shirt and headdress often, at tribal ceremonies and the annual Canoe Journey, a summertime celebration of cultural heritage.
From the time Jaylen was 5 or 6, he was involved in sports. He wrestled on the tribe’s team and played football on city and school teams, including this year as a freshman with the MPHS Tomahawks. His teammates, often cousins and friends, were closer to him than brothers. Jaylen always made time for them.
He learned to fish for salmon using gill nets with his father and grandfather. Many Tulalip families are fishing families.
Throughout the fall and winter, Jaylen was an avid hunter. He hunted deer and elk with his dad and brother, never failing to bring an animal home. He hunted for many reasons, including to feed families in their times of sorrow. Tulalip people find comfort and connection to each other in sharing traditional foods
At 14, Jaylen started high school at Marysville Pilchuck. He seemed to have it all. He was in a long-term relationship with a great girl, was part of a strong family, pulled down good grades and was on the football team. High school can be stressful, but he seemed to be handling things well enough. The truth is, no one saw this coming. A few outbursts on social media, a few scuffles, normal freshman angst that came with normal consequences. After Friday’s events, we are left with questions that may never be answered.
Jaylen got in a fight and was suspended from the football team just before a crucial game. Two of the boys he shot — Andrew Fryberg and Nate Hatch — were his cousins and also on the football team. Were they targeted because they would play in the championship game that night? We don’t know.
He had separated from his girlfriend, and it is speculated that caused an argument. Contrary to many news reports, his girlfriend did not attend Marysville Pilchuck. She was not among those shot.
And there is talk of bullying. All six of the students involved were close. They grew up together. They competed together. They went to homecoming together only a week before.
Did they tease each other? Of course. That’s what cousins are for.
We know Jaylen became troubled. Why is not clear.
What he did in that cafeteria was monstrous.
His uncle, John Dumonte, told TV reporters, though, that Jaylen wasn’t a monster.
As someone who walked with him in this community, who knew him from the time he was small, I understand that sentiment.
Culture and tradition can fall away. Not for Jaylen. He was viewed as living hope for the tribes’ future.
Now he is gone.
The shaken community on both sides of I-5 now must put the pieces together, to help each other learn how to heal from this, to understand why.
