A Washington 13-year-old told officials that he was depressed and thought if he didn’t kill someone else, he would have killed himself, according to King County Sheriff’s Office documents.
King County Sheriff’s Major Crimes detectives arrested the 13-year-old boy in the killing of a 35-year-old man in Burien, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim died two days after last week’s shooting, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“Through their investigation, our detectives developed probable cause to arrest the 13-year-old Friday night, 4/24/2020,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “The suspect was transported and booked into the Youth Service Center on Investigation of Murder.”
The teenager was walking down the street, following the victim for one block, when he pulled out a gun and shot the 35-year-old in the back of the head, according to the Sheriff’s Office documents.
The 13-year-old ran away while neighbors called 911, according to documents. Surveillance video helped track the boy to the scene of the shooting, and several people were able to help identify the boy, according to documents.
When the teen was interviewed by detectives, he admitted to shooting the victim “because he was depressed,” court documents say. The 13-year-old said he “just felt like doing it,” according to the documents.
“The Burien Police Department is ramping up high visibility emphasis patrols in our neighborhoods over the next several weeks, and are communicating with other cities that have experienced similar violent events in order to share intelligence,” the King County Sheriff’s Office said. “We all need to work together to prevent violence in our community, and we ask you to call 911 anytime you see concerning behavior.”
*story by Miami Herald