The tight-knit community of Fall City, Washington, is reeling after a devastating mass shooting claimed the lives of five members of the Humiston Family. In the early hours of Monday morning, an 11-year-old girl bravely escaped her home, bloodied and wounded, to seek help after witnessing the horrific events that unfolded, leaving her entire family dead. Court documents detailing her harrowing account are beginning to paint a clearer picture of the tragedy that has gripped the region.
According to these documents, the nightmare began when the young girl awoke to the sound of gunshots. Peeking out of her bedroom, she was met with a scene of unimaginable horror: her father, Mark Humiston, and her 9-year-old brother lying in the hallway, both covered in blood. Tragedy struck again as her 7-year-old sister emerged from their shared bedroom, only to be felled by another gunshot before the young survivor’s eyes.
The shooter then turned his weapon on the 11-year-old, firing into her bedroom and striking her hand and neck. Despite her injuries and the chaos surrounding her, the girl displayed remarkable clarity, recognizing the weapon as her father’s silver Glock handgun. Even more chilling, she identified the shooter as her own 15-year-old brother.
In a display of chilling detachment, the 11-year-old recounted seeing her brother approach the bodies of their family members, seemingly checking if they were still alive. Feigning death as he stood near her bed, she managed to survive the immediate onslaught. Tragically, their mother, Sarah Humiston, and their 13-year-old brother had also been fatally shot elsewhere in the house.
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Two 911 Calls Reveal Conflicting Accounts of the Humiston Family Shooting
Seizing a moment of opportunity after her brother left the room and she overheard him on the phone, the courageous 11-year-old escaped through a “fire window” in her bedroom. She fled to a neighbor’s house, where a 911 call was placed just after 5 a.m., identifying the 15-year-old as the shooter and reporting the horrific scene at the Humiston family home.
However, this was not the first 911 call related to the shooting that morning. Seven minutes prior, the 15-year-old himself had contacted emergency services. Sounding breathless and claiming to be hiding in a bathroom, he presented a drastically different version of events. He told the 911 operator that his 13-year-old brother had murdered the family and then committed suicide, offering as a potential motive that the younger brother had been caught viewing pornography the previous night and was facing severe repercussions.
When authorities arrived at the scene, the 15-year-old was taken into custody. On Thursday, he was formally charged in juvenile court with five counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder, along with a firearm enhancement. Due to his juvenile status, CNN is refraining from naming the 15-year-old.
Washington state law mandates a hearing and judicial approval before a juvenile case can be transferred to adult court. Prosecutors have formally requested this transfer in a Friday hearing, initiating a process that could take months to reach a final decision. If convicted in juvenile court, the 15-year-old could be held until the age of 25 without further penalties. However, if tried and convicted as an adult, he could face a sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment, with a presumptive release after 25 years.
Amy Parker, the attorney representing the teenager, cautioned against premature judgments, stating, “I would remind everyone that these are not proven facts, merely allegations, and the law presumes our client is innocent of these charges. 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 history.”
Investigators, however, believe the evidence points to a calculated and brutal act by the 15-year-old, alleging he “systematically murdered” his parents, two brothers, and sister, attempted to murder his surviving 11-year-old sister, and then “staged” the crime scene before the arrival of first responders.
Further details emerged from the 11-year-old’s account, revealing to a 911 operator that her eldest brother had recently been “in a lot of trouble” for academic underperformance. She later told investigators that he was the only sibling who knew the combination to the lockbox where their father stored his firearm, adding another layer of complexity to the investigation into the Humiston family tragedy.
Following the shooting, the 11-year-old survivor received medical treatment at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and has since been discharged.
Community Grieves for the Humiston Family in Wake of Mass Shooting
In the aftermath of this horrific event, a local family member has stepped forward to provide care for the surviving 11-year-old girl and her elder brother, who remains in custody. King County Council member Sarah Perry expressed the community’s collective grief, stating, “At this time, I ask you to join me in holding all family members, the community members of Lake Alice and Fall City, and others impacted by this terrible situation, in your heart with prayers of peace and healing.”
The tragedy underscores the grim reality of gun violence in America. This year alone, there have been at least 427 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for minors in the US, with over 1,100 children and teens dying in mass shootings this year.
The court has issued a no-contact order, prohibiting the 15-year-old from communicating with his surviving sister.
Neighbors described Mark and Sarah Humiston as active members of the community who homeschooled their children. Mark Humiston was employed at Hargis Engineers, who released a statement expressing their profound loss: “We are blindsided and saddened by the tragic events that have led to the loss of a respected colleague, mentor, and friend, as well as the loss of immediate family members… Mark’s leadership and vision were integral within our firm, and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his surviving family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”
The Fall City community now faces the arduous task of healing and supporting the surviving members of the Humiston family and each other in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy.
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