Jaylen Fryberg and the 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School Shooting
Background
Jaylen Ray Fryberg was a 15-year-old freshman at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Washington. He was born on July 31, 1999, and was a member of the Tulalip Tribes. Fryberg participated in football and wrestling and had recently been named the freshman homecoming prince. Classmates generally described him as popular, sociable and closely connected to his family and friends.
Despite that outward appearance, Fryberg reportedly experienced emotional and interpersonal problems during the weeks preceding the attack. His social media posts became increasingly despondent and referred to rejection, anger and strained relationships. Some reports connected his distress to a romantic dispute involving classmates, although investigators did not establish one definitive motive for the shooting.
Planning the Attack
On the morning of October 24, 2014, Fryberg contacted several friends and relatives and invited them to meet him for lunch in the cafeteria at Marysville Pilchuck High School. Some of the students were reportedly encouraged to leave or skip class so they could be at the cafeteria table at the same time.
Shortly before the shooting, Fryberg sent a group text message to members of his family and to relatives of the students he intended to confront. In the message, he apologized for what he was preparing to do and reportedly expressed wishes concerning his funeral. The communication indicated that the shooting was planned rather than a sudden, spontaneous outburst.
The Cafeteria Shooting
At approximately 10:39 a.m. on October 24, 2014, students were gathered for lunch inside the Marysville Pilchuck High School cafeteria. About 150 people were reportedly in the room. Fryberg entered carrying a .40-caliber Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact semiautomatic pistol that belonged to his father.
The students Fryberg had invited were seated together at a cafeteria table. Fryberg initially sat elsewhere before approaching their table. Witnesses reported that he displayed a blank expression and fired repeatedly at the small group from close range. He did not fire indiscriminately throughout the cafeteria; the attack was concentrated on students with whom he had close personal or family relationships.
Fryberg fired at least eight rounds. Five students were struck, most suffering devastating wounds to the head. Zoë Galasso was killed at the scene. Four other students were transported to hospitals, where three later died. Nate Hatch, one of Fryberg’s cousins, survived after being wounded in the jaw.
Social studies teacher Megan Silberberger attempted to intervene as Fryberg handled the weapon after shooting the students. Investigators later determined that Fryberg deliberately turned the handgun on himself and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead inside the cafeteria.
Victims
- Zoë Raine Galasso, 14 — Galasso was shot in the head and died at the scene inside the Marysville Pilchuck High School cafeteria on October 24, 2014.
- Gia Christine Soriano, 14 — Soriano suffered a critical gunshot wound to the head on October 24, 2014. She was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, and died from her injuries on October 26, 2014.
- Shaylee Adelle Chuckulnaskit, 14 — Chuckulnaskit was shot in the head in the school cafeteria on October 24, 2014. She remained hospitalized in critical condition before dying at Providence Regional Medical Center on October 31, 2014.
- Andrew Martin Leroy Fryberg, 15 — Andrew Fryberg, a cousin of Jaylen Fryberg, suffered two gunshot wounds, including a severe wound to the head. He died at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett on November 7, 2014.
- Nate Hatch, 14 — Hatch, another cousin and close friend of Fryberg, was shot in the jaw on October 24, 2014. He was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and survived the attack.
Emergency Response
The first emergency call reporting gunfire was made moments after the attack began. A school resource officer reached the cafeteria approximately one minute after the initial dispatch and reported multiple victims on the floor. Police, firefighters and paramedics converged on the campus while the school was placed under lockdown.
Students fled through cafeteria exits, hid beneath tables or remained barricaded inside classrooms. Some climbed fences and sought shelter in nearby homes. Officers searched the campus room by room to determine whether another attacker was present. Hundreds of students were eventually evacuated and transported by bus to a nearby church, where they were reunited with their families.
More than 100 witnesses were interviewed during the investigation. Police recovered the handgun from the cafeteria and determined that Fryberg had acted alone. Investigators examined his telephone, text messages, social media activity, school relationships and family circumstances in an effort to understand the attack.
Motive and Personal Conflicts
Investigators found evidence that Fryberg had been upset by deteriorating friendships and romantic rejection. He had posted emotional statements online and reportedly believed that a girl he wanted to date had become interested in one of his cousins. Several of the students at the table were tied to that personal conflict.
Other possible contributing factors included school difficulties, missed classes, declining grades and a recent confrontation with another student. Reports that Fryberg had been bullied or suspended also circulated after the shooting. However, authorities did not identify a single event that fully explained why he decided to murder his friends and relatives. The official motive remained a combination of unresolved personal grievances, jealousy and emotional distress rather than one conclusively established cause.
Investigation of the Weapon
The Beretta pistol used in the shooting had been purchased by Fryberg’s father, Raymond Lee Fryberg Jr. Federal investigators later discovered that the elder Fryberg was legally prohibited from possessing firearms because he was subject to a permanent domestic-violence protection order issued in 2002.
Raymond Fryberg was arrested in March 2015 and charged with illegally possessing firearms. Prosecutors alleged that he had falsely answered questions on federal background-check forms when purchasing several guns, including the weapon his son later carried into the school. He was convicted in September 2015 of unlawful firearm possession and was later sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Community Impact
Classes at Marysville Pilchuck High School were canceled following the shooting. Vigils and memorial services were held throughout Marysville and the neighboring Tulalip reservation as the community mourned the victims. Counselors and mental-health professionals were brought to the campus when students returned on November 3, 2014.
The cafeteria remained a painful symbol of the attack and was never returned to normal use. It was eventually demolished, and the area was replaced with an outdoor space and lawn. Memorials honoring Zoë Galasso, Gia Soriano, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Andrew Fryberg were established by their families, classmates and community members.
Final Death Toll
The Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting resulted in the murders of four students and the serious wounding of a fifth. Including Fryberg’s suicide, five people died as a result of the attack. Because three victims died in hospitals over the following two weeks, the full magnitude of the shooting emerged gradually between October 24 and November 7, 2014.
The attack became one of the deadliest school shootings in Washington state history. Its particularly devastating impact came from the close relationships among the gunman and his victims. Fryberg deliberately gathered friends and relatives at one table before shooting them, transforming a personal conflict into an act of mass murder that permanently affected the Marysville and Tulalip communities.
