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Fall City murders: 11-year-old girl kills herself in room while 5 family members are shot and killed in Washington state home
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Fall City murders: 11-year-old girl kills herself in room while 5 family members are shot and killed in Washington state home

An 11-year-old girl in Washington state ran home in the early hours of the morning to escape a shooting that left her bloodied and wounded and killed her entire family.

For days this week, authorities investigated the horrific and fatal shootings of five people in Fall City, Washington. Now, the girl’s account, detailed in court documents, gives a first look at what unfolded.

The 11-year-old recalled waking up Monday to the sound of gunshots. When she looked outside her bedroom door, she saw her father, Mark Humiston, with blood on his head and her 9-year-old brother with blood in his mouth — both lying on the hallway floor, according to court documents.

When her 7-year-old sister came out of their shared bedroom, the 11-year-old said she heard another gunshot before seeing her younger sister fall to the floor, the documents say.

She told investigators the shooter then came into her bedroom and fired the gun once or twice, hitting her hand and neck.

Despite the pain she felt from the impact of the bullet, the 11-year-old told authorities she recognized the gun. It was her father’s silver Glock pistol, court documents say.

And he also recognized the shooter. He was her 15-year-old brother, she said.

The 11-year-old girl recalled seeing her brother approaching the bodies of her other family members to see if they were alive and pretending to play dead herself as she sat by her bed.

Their mother, Sarah Huminston, and their 13-year-old brother were shot and killed elsewhere in the home, authorities said.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Two 911 calls about the same photo

The girl told investigators she escaped through a “fire window” in her room after her brother left the room and heard her talking on the phone. She ran to a neighbor’s house, where they called 911 just after 5 a.m. to report the shooting and the 15-year-old as the shooter, court documents say.

But it wasn’t the first 911 call about the shooting that morning.

Seven minutes earlier, the 15-year-old called for help himself, calling out for breath and saying he was hiding in a bathroom, according to court documents. He told a 911 operator that his 13-year-old brother killed their family and killed himself, court documents state.

The 13-year-old had been caught watching pornography the night before and was about to get into a lot of trouble, the 15-year-old told the 911 operator as a possible motive for the shooting, according to court documents.

The 15-year-old was detained when the authorities arrived at the home. On Thursday, he was charged in juvenile court with five counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder with a firearm, according to court documents. CNN is not naming the 15-year-old because he is a minor.

Under Washington state law, a hearing is required and a judge’s approval is required before the case can be moved to adult court. In a hearing on Friday, prosecutors formally requested that the teenager’s case be moved to adult court, a process that typically takes months before a final decision is made.

If convicted and his case remains in juvenile court, he could be held for up to 25 years without further penalties, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. If convicted and charged in an adult court, the teenager could be sentenced to 25 years to life, with a legal presumption of release after 25 years.

“I would remind everyone that these are not proven facts, only allegations, and the law presumes that our client is innocent of these charges,” Amy Parker, an attorney representing the teenager, told CNN. “We want the court to know that our client is a 15-year-old boy who enjoys mountain biking and fishing and has no criminal record.”

Investigators believe the 15-year-old “systematically killed” his parents, two brothers and one of his sisters; tried to kill his 11-year-old sister and “staged” the crime scene before first responders arrived, according to court documents.

The 11-year-old girl told a 911 operator that her older brother had been in “a lot of trouble” recently because he failed some tests at school, and later told investigators that he was the only sibling who knew the combination to the box in which their father. stored his firearm, court documents say.

The 11-year-old girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the shooting, but has since been released, a hospital spokesperson told CNN.

A community in mourning after mass shootings

A local family member stepped forward to care for the 11-year-old and older brother, who remain in custody, King County Councilwoman Sarah Perry told CNN.

“At this time, please join us in keeping all the family members, Lake Alice and Fall City community members and others affected by this terrible situation in your hearts with prayers for peace and healing,” Perry said in a statement.

There have been at least 427 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one that injures or kills four or more people, without to include the shooter.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death among U.S. minors, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 1,100 children and teenagers have died in mass shootings this year alone, according to the archive.

Earlier this week, the court ordered the 15-year-old to have no contact with his surviving sister, according to Casey McNerthney of the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

Mark and Sarah Humiston homeschooled their children and were very active in the community, neighbors told KING.

CNN reached out to Hargis Engineers, where Mark was employed.

“We are blindsided and saddened by the tragic events that have resulted in the loss of a respected colleague, mentor and friend, as well as close family members,” the company shared in a statement to KING about his passing. “Mark’s leadership and vision have been essential to our firm and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues who survived this difficult time.”

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