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4th Teen Dies From Washington H.S. Shooting

Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, age 14, died Friday of her injuries from last week's Marysville, WA shooting. She is the fourth teen to die as a result of the incident. Jaylen's cousin Andrew Fryberg remains in critical condition. His other cousin, Nate Hatch, is doing better.

A tribal service was held Thursday for Jaylen Fryberg. More than 1,000 people attended. His (former) girlfriend, Shilene, has posted her first tweet since the shooting:

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    So young and so sad (5.00 / 4) (#1)
    by MO Blue on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 08:31:13 AM EST
    I hurt for the anguish that all parents are experiencing.

    We as a nation need to find a way to stop this from reoccurring so often. Evidently, young men of all races need more help than they are receiving.

    While the pols talk about this being a mental health issue and not a gun issue, I don't see them dedicating any real money for additional mental health resources or research.

    This is so sad (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 11:04:18 AM EST
    My heart goes out to the family, friends and community. They will mourn this for very many years, even generations.

    It seems (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by smott on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:53:33 PM EST
    The Tulalip community is managing this awfully well....much coming together,support, forgiveness.
    Kudos to them in a terrible time, for setting a great example.

    The Tribal Communities (none / 0) (#9)
    by BeDazzled on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:43:10 PM EST
    Have learned to cope with a plethora of issues most of us never have to face. So much in this event has gone unnoticed, and left off the table of discussion.

    The closest eye witness stated that Jaylen stood up, looked each of his friends directly in the face and then shot them. None of them tried to run or take cover. Yesterday information came out that via text messages Jaylen had make arrangements for them all to have lunch together.

    Think about that.

    Parent

    I really need to point out that, (5.00 / 6) (#4)
    by oculus on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 03:59:47 PM EST
    although guns don't kill people; people kill people, perhaps all these young people would not have died had this young man not had access to a gun. Very tragic.

    And twittering youthful not yet mature (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 04:08:24 PM EST
    Love and forgiveness will not erase the scars and trauma that will last lifetimes.  Nor does it negate the pain that will be experienced over and over and over again by the victims and those they share or shared life with.

    Parent
    would you have preferred (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:22:53 PM EST
    he used a knife? Or a bomb? Guns didn't cause his rage or despair. In an earlier post, I quoted what he had to say about hunting and guns on his FB page.

    And... The thing is, is I don't always just go out an shoot something. It's not my favorite part about hunting. My favorite part about it is about just being in the woods. Just me my dad an my brother. An even if I'm sitting in the passenger seat sleeping it doesn't matter. I like to be in the woods an that's it....

    Attempts to turn this thread into a call for gun control are not welcome here.

    Parent

    J I don't think this is about (5.00 / 4) (#8)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:33:43 PM EST
    "gun control" specifically. It is just true that guns make killing simply a lot easier. Bombs kill lots too but they require some knowledge of how to make them and to use them. Guns only require picking one up and using it.

    I agree that people have a right to own a gun and to use it in self defense. There is a very fuzzy line between self defense and aggression tho - legally and culturally. IMO if, culturally, gun culture gets called out as being sometimes (not always) a tool for aggression then that is a good thing.

    As I have said in this thread this whole thing is a tragedy beyond words and beyond time. That is not a matter of what tool was used to express the killing rage. Guns are just the tool of choice in these times. They have not always been and in the future, probably, will not always be.

    Parent

    I think if he used a knife, he would have been (5.00 / 5) (#12)
    by oculus on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 12:38:19 AM EST
    stopped b/4 he shot as many as he did.

    Parent
    I agree, Oculus. (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 08:53:52 AM EST
    If he'd used a knife, he wouldn't have shot as many people.

    Parent
    Yup. It's not like he was (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by nycstray on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 02:32:49 PM EST
    some big scary dude that could kill several people with a knife (and himself?) before others overtook him. Plus, to my knowledge, he didn't have 'knife training'.

    And I'm a person that thinks 'proper hunting' is okay . . .

    Parent

    Would you have preferred a knife? Or a bomb? (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Jack203 on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 09:36:32 AM EST
    Yes!

    A bomb probably wouldn't have worked, and a close range weapon like would have not resulted in nearly as many serious injuries and fatalities.

    He was obviously unstable and either distraught/angry or delusional, but probably a fairly good candidate for recovering psychologically with some help considering his strong social skills.

    Seeing that young girls picture is very very sad.  

     

    Parent

    I Would Prefer He Had a Knife (5.00 / 4) (#20)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 11:20:30 AM EST
    There is a reason guns and not knives are used in war.  Bombs are used, but they cost a million bucks and are flown in by 100M aircraft.

    Guns are the problem since we will never be able to tell who is at that level of despair and rage, the solution is to try and make sure these individuals to not have access to any type of devises that allow them top kill many.

    We have essentially very tight controls on every dangerous item like: explosives, poisons, pathogens, chemicals, nuclear materials and every other item that, in the wrong hands, would pose a great public danger.

    We do it for everything in this country but one very conspicuous item, which coincidentally is the one currently being used by unstable people to enact their rage on the public most often.

    The belief that we as a country can cure teenage/adult rage and despair is ludicrous.

    We can't even get people who are clinically insane the help they need, yet you think we are going to target and get people like this kid the help they need.  That is fantasy that absolutely no one is working on beyond using it as a faux argument for not controlling deadly machines that used use to kill time and time again.

    You exchange every gun in this country for a knife, it won't stop murder, but it will put one hell of a dent in it.  And it will most certainly ensure one mentally unstable person cannot kill every time he pulls his finger.

    Parent

    Thank-you. Could not have said it any (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by vml68 on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 12:31:11 PM EST
    better.


    Parent
    I agree this is not about weapons (none / 0) (#10)
    by BeDazzled on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:56:20 PM EST
    I do think it's about despair. These kids were really close to each other and none of them were angry with one another.

    It's hard for tribal teens to go to school off the reservation. They see the world of opportunities the other kids can plan for, but aren't really open to them. Teens make pacts and stick together in ways older people don't.

    It's pretty universal on the reservations to find despair over the lack of opportunities in life - not just career, but everything.  

    Parent

    Teenagers go through despair often (5.00 / 3) (#11)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:59:02 PM EST
    It has to do with their brain development and is normal.  Some get to skip the despair and some don't.  If they didn't have access to such weapons or exposed to the current gun craze, they would express and deal with their despair in a different way.

    Parent
    Yes people kill people (5.00 / 5) (#7)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:25:10 PM EST
    yet one guy in a cafeteria could not kill all those people en masse with a knife. Only guns allow people to do that (not bombs since guns are just so very common and do not require planning).

    Parent
    Yes, (none / 0) (#17)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 02:54:46 PM EST
    And if he could attempt to stab them, he definitely couldn't pierce each of their brains the way he did in the time he had.

    I'm not in favor of gun control necessarily, but I am in favor of responsibility control.  Parents need to lock up their guns because their kids are apparently devoid of impulse control and can't be held responsible for their own actions (rolls eyes).  And if the kid gets a gun, the parent should be at least partially responsible for whatever happens.

    Parent

    A lot of the need for all these guns (none / 0) (#22)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 03:41:51 PM EST
    on the part of the citizenry and these psychopathic violent acts stems from the same combative, paranoic ideation. This hypercompetitive, mistrustful everyone-against-everyone attitude toward the world that's been part of the social darwinist mythology of the U.S.

       

    Parent

    This can't be good..... (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by NYShooter on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 12:51:57 PM EST
    There is quite a lot of research going on regarding today's social media, and, what it is doing to our culture, especially our youths.

    While peer pressure during the teen years has always been an extremely powerful force that kids have had to endure the proliferation of today's social media just seems to greatly exacerbate it.

    Going through an airport recently I couldn't help but be struck by the sight of hundreds of folks, rushing like crazed people, trying to out-run Zombies, and, everyone's face glued to his/her "smart" phone.

    I just thought to myself, "this can't be good."


    Makes me sad on many levels (5.00 / 3) (#18)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 03:21:27 PM EST
    Makes me sad on so many levels.

    My instinct is that this kid was "charismatic" so the tribe propped him up and groomed him to be a "leader" something he couldn't handle.  The pressure was on him to "perform" but it wasn't his natural inclination to do so.  (He was a relative of essentially most of the tribal government and even government outside of the tribe (e.g. his mother Wendy was on the school board until 2013.))  

    His world was out of his control....sooooo
    the boy lashed out against those whom he could control, the underlings, the people with less prominence in the tribe.

    I think he should be forgiven for what he did.  He was sick and everyone was ignoring it.  However, I absolutely don't think he should be glamorized the way he has been.  The whole notion of "Team Jaylen" literally makes me nauseous, almost feels like mocking of the victims.  It shows utter disrespect for the victims.   Would they have wanted to die for Team Jaylen?  No matter how you feel about this, would you want your family member to die for "the team?"  Whether he had the ability to control his impulses or not, he took the lives of innocent people. That is not an honorable act.  But people lionize him because he was "popular," because his family was "prominent".

    I would think paying tribute to him the way the school is doing and allowing others to do would be extremely confusing for many of the students.  In addition, I think it sends the message to other would-be shooters that --if you're popular-- you can literally get away with anything.  

    I get the impression that the Fryberg klan has control over the school.  If I had students at that school, I'd get them out of there as soon as possible, even if it meant moving.  But given that parents can opt to send their kids to either of the two schools in the area, a change would be fairly simple, although might be a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire.

    Tulalip is everywhere.  The casino is constantly advertised on TV and newspaper media.  It's like a small, well-funded political party and the media doesn't want to lose out on all that money do they?  And, at least in Marysville, it's a powerful party.  Because of this incident I think I'm seeing that now, and it kind of scares me.

    That was a very powerful comment (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by ZtoA on Mon Nov 03, 2014 at 07:53:47 PM EST
     These kinds of killings - especially of children or teens - used to be a major trigger for me - still is, tho much less. I know that family dynamics or community dynamics (school? in this case) can make one person focus that negative dynamic and act in a very unconscious way for the group. For example, a parent might be violent to his/her kids in an unconscious response to him/herself being violently treated by their parent.

    I don't know if your speculation on these relationships is right on the mark, or not, but it reads like you are trying to get your head around this. And it is compassionate.

    Parent