Two weeks after fatal shooting of Garfield High student, no arrests made

Thursday marked two weeks since 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was killed outside Garfield High School. No arrests have been made.

Murphy-Paine was fatally shot June 6 in the school parking lot during lunch. The shooter is believed to be a school-age male, Seattle police officials said at a news conference immediately after the shooting.

Calls for justice and an end to gun violence followed. However, as the school's prom and graduation came and went, police released few details about the shooting.

On Thursday, Eric Muñoz, a Seattle police spokesman, said there have been no updates on the investigation. “Seattle Police are actively investigating the homicide at Garfield High School. They are working very, very hard on this investigation.

Muñoz said any information about an arrest related to the investigation will be made public “the day or morning after the day” that any arrests take place.

“Typically, homicide cases are confidential,” he said. “This is done to respect the integrity of the investigation. If an arrest is made, she will be released immediately.

As students sat at Memorial Stadium Monday, wearing purple caps and gowns, Garfield Principal Tarance Hart called Murphy-Paine's death a “profound loss.”

Highlighting several cases of gun violence nearby and on campus, he pledged to make the school safer.

A student was shot and killed in March while waiting for her bus outside the school. There was also a shooting outside the school in October and a series of nearby shootings last June that did not involve students but led to increased security on campus.

“We honor his memory tonight,” Hart told the crowd Monday. “And our hearts and thoughts go out to his family and friends. We want to recognize that [Amarr] did not lose his life in vain. We will do our best to make improvements at Garfield High School – to improve safety and improve the social-emotional well-being of our students.