A security guard at a federal Food and Drug Administration facility in the Canyon Park area of Bothell shot a 15-year-old boy in the foot Friday morning after approaching a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The youth, a freshman at a nearby Northshore School District alternative high school, was taken to Kirkland’s EvergreenHealth Medical Center and treated. He was then taken into custody for questioning, according to a press release by the sheriff’s office.
The shooting occurred at about 7:15 a.m. outside an FDA office or lab at 22201 23rd Drive S.E., a few miles north of Woodinville and about 20 miles northeast of Seattle.
According to the release, two security guards approached a suspicious person in the parking lot. The person fled on foot, but then returned and got into a car in the lot. As the officer approached, the youth backed the car out and struck one of the security officers. The security officers then opened fire.
Earlier reports from Bothell police indicated the youth later crashed the car several blocks away. But the release from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said only that the young man was located later by Bothell Police using information found in the car. He had a gunshot wound to the foot and minor facial injuries.
The teen is a student at the Secondary Academy for Success, an alternative high school adjacent to the FDA building, according to Northshore School District spokeswoman Leanna Albrecht. The school, which has 150 students in grades 9-12, was in a modified lockdown from about 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. as a precaution and while some students were questioned by police. Parents were notified by phone at about 1 p.m. about the situation, which caused at least one parent to wonder why it didn't happen as the situation was unfolding.
Albrecht apologized for not notifying parents earlier and just said the district would work to ensure families are notified more quickly in the future.
KING 5 news reported that some SAS students near the scene of the incident Friday morning said the youth had recently been suspended from the school.
The Snohomish County Multi Agency Response Team is leading the investigation, along with the Department of Homeland Security. Protective Security Officers guard many federal facilities, under contract with Federal Protective Services through Homeland Security.
For an earlier Patch story about the shooting, click here.
