Garfield High School shooting victim identified – KIRO 7 News Seattle

SEATTLE — Reggie Witherspoon coached Amarr Murphy for three years at Garfield High School and said the young man was a peacemaker with a bright future.

Sadly, Murphy was shot and killed in the parking lot of Garfield High School around noon on Thursday.

“Devastated,” Witherspoon said. “This one, for me, hit differently. When I heard this news, I thought are you kidding me? »

Seattle police say some sort of fight broke out and Murphy intervened to try to calm things down. Tragically, one of the teens in the initial fight pulled out a gun and shot Murphy multiple times in the chest.

“When I found out he was breaking up a fight for me that felt familiar, Amarr is a peacemaker, he doesn't make trouble, doesn't look for trouble,” Witherspoon said.

The suspect fled and has still not been arrested.

Police say the shooter is high school age and wearing a red hoodie, light pants or jeans and white shoes.

Murphy was taken to Harborview and was operated on in serious condition, but did not survive.

“Hearing this news yesterday was absolutely devastating”

» said Witherspoon. Witherspoon described Murphy as a hard worker, telling KIRO 7 that the young man fought through injury to make the college football team and was preparing for his senior year.

“I said let me ask you a question do you deserve this varsity thing because I gave him a JV jersey and he said you're right I don't deserve it and I'm going to win it and c “That's exactly what he did,” Witherspoon said. “Murphy was not only talented on the field but off the field as well.”

“That same excitement and love that he raps with is the exact same way he plays football, struts, looks good, feels good,” Witherspoon said. “This kid lost his dream at one point when he suffered his injury, but he got back up and kept going to the finish line and now he has succumbed to his injuries since yesterday.”

If you have any information about what happened or the identity of the shooter, call Seattle police immediately.

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