Sheriff’s deputies in Washington state are searching for two teenagers suspected of shooting a pair of male students near a high school in the small city of Graham on Tuesday.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday a third suspect in the shooting, described only as a 17-year-old male, has been apprehended, but his two alleged accomplices remained at large.
In a tweet sent out early Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said gunfire erupted during a fight near school grounds, and that the suspects, who were said to be black males, fled the scene in a green Chevy Impala.
Have YOU seen them? Authorities in Washington state are seeking these two teenagers in connection to a shooting near a Graham high school that wounded two boys
Getaway car: The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office says the suspects fled the scene in this green Chevy Impala (pictured left and right)
Officials say two 16-year-old boys were wounded during a fight near the Graham-Kapowsin High School on Tuesday afternoon
Two people hug as they wait to be reunited with students on lockdown near Graham-Kapowsin High School, Frontier Middle School, and Nelson Elementary School on Tuesday
Both victims, aged 16, were taken to Tacoma General Hospital with gunshot wounds and were expected to survive after undergoing emergency surgeries.
One of the students was found in a parking lot near the football field of Graham-Kapowsin High School shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday.
The other student was found inside a locker room. Detective Ed Troyer says the two students were shot just off school grounds and that they ran back to campus.
Troyer told reporters that the 17-year-old boy who was taken into custody in connection to the shooting is a student at Graham-Kapowsin, but the two wanted suspects are believed to be from outside the area.
According to the detective, the shooting may be gang-related, but investigators are also looking into other possible motives, reported KOMO News.
A Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputy stands between two vehicles near Graham-Kapowsin High School after the shooting
Officials arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection to the shooting, but two other teens remained at large
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office appealed for the public’s help in identifying the two wanted suspects
Deputies who responded to the scene checked the school’s grounds and found no signs any suspects were there.
Graham-Kapowsin, Frontier Middle School and Nelson and Graham elementary schools were all put on lockdown on Tuesday afternoon, and parents in the district were sent an email notification about the incident.
Concerned relatives who arrived to pick up their children from school after getting the alert about the shooting were reunited with them at the Frontier Middle School gymnasium.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office appealed for the public’s help in identifying the two wanted suspects and tweeted that Crime Stoppers was offering a reward for information.
People with knowledge of the suspects’ whereabouts are asked to call 1-800-222-TIPS.