School Shooter Was Freshman Homecoming Prince

Freshman Jaylen Fryberg was popular but bullied: student
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 24, 2014 4:27 PM CDT
School Shooter Was Freshman Homecoming King
This image made from a video provided by KOMO shows emergency personnel responding after reports of a shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Wash., Friday, Oct. 24, 2014.   (AP Photo/KOMO)

The gunman in a school shooting near Seattle—identified by fellow students as Jaylen Fryberg—was named freshman homecoming prince just days ago, CNN reports. The victims were Fryberg's friends, says one witness: "It wasn't just random." He "came up from behind ... and fired about six bullets into the backs of them." A student describes Fryberg as popular but recently bullied, CNN notes. Fryberg, according to a fellow student, was frustrated after a girl refused to date him, the Seattle Times reports; she was among those shot, the student says.

Fryberg was on the football team, a teammate tells the Times. Yesterday at practice, "he was all happy, dancing around and listening to music. I don’t know what happened today." On social media, Fryberg is shown hunting and holding guns. He's described as a Native American and member of the Tulalip tribe. Three of four injured students were reported in critical condition following head wounds; they're undergoing or have completed surgery. Another, who was shot in the jaw, is in serious condition after surgery, the Times reports. (More Seattle stories.)

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