SOUTH KING COUNTY, Wash. — A 13-year-old was charged in the shooting of another teen on the playground at Lakeland Elementary in South King County on Tuesday, according to court documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The alleged shooter is charged with five total counts, including third-degree assault and dangerous possession of a firearm.
The 13-year-old had a first court appearance on Wednesday but was released on electronic home monitoring, a spokesperson for the King County Court said.
Lakeland Elementary School received backlash from parents after the school did not go on lockdown after the shooting.
On April 8, just after 2:45 p.m., the King County Sheriff’s Office found a teen with a gunshot wound at the elementary school’s playground.
Parents say students were released around fifteen minutes later, and they did not receive an email about the shooting until five hours after it happened.
“The biggest frustration is at 3:05 p.m., the kids were released. Kids were put on buses, kids were allowed to walk home, kids were allowed to leave with parents,” said parent Danny Quintero.
Harborview Medical Center tells KIRO 7 that the teen who was shot was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.
“At no time did we hear or see anything that would warrant a lockdown and we were not informed of the incident until after it had occurred. By the time the school and District were informed, law enforcement shared that the scene was secured, there was no immediate danger, and there was no need for a lockdown as the suspect was in custody," Federal Way Public Schools said in a statement.
The 13-year-old charged has their next court appearance on Monday, April 14.
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