by Susan Fried and Phil Manzano
Scores of concerned community members showed up at Garfield High School on Tuesday, June 11, to rally support for students stunned and grieving after a student was shot and killed on campus last week.
Amarr Murphy-Paine, who police say appeared to be trying to break up a fight Thursday afternoon, was shot as he was leaving by a person involved in the fight. Murphy-Paine, 17, died hours later at Harborview Medical Center, police said.
Classes were canceled Friday and Monday as Seattle Police continued their search for a suspect in the shooting. Although they searched the area Thursday, no one was found.
Tuesday's rally was organized by 100 Black Parents and Kun Salisbury. "We will meet on the front steps of Garfield High School at 8AM SHARP!" a Facebook announcement said. "Please be on time. We will have a quick orientation, fellowship, and prayer, then break out to cover different doors of the school and begin greeting students at 8:30 AM."
Parents and community members lined the steps leading up to the main entrance of the school on either side of a memorial to Murphy-Paine that had grown in the days since the shooting.
Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones were among the prominent City officials who welcomed students. Harrell decried the number and easy access to guns and weapons, a national problem, at a press conference on Thursday, June 6.
Susan Fried is a 40-year veteran photographer. Her early career included weddings, portraits, and commercial work — plus, she's been The Skanner News' Seattle photographer for 25 years. Her images have appeared in the University of Washington's The Daily, The Seattle Globalist, Crosscut, and many more.She's been an Emerald contributor since 2015. Follow her on Instagram @fried.susan.
Phil Manzano is a South Seattle writer, editor with more than 30 years of experience in daily journalism, and is the interim news editor for the Emerald.
📸 Featured Image: Students return to Garfield High School Tuesday, June 11, just days after a shooting took the life of a student, Amarr Murphy-Paine. (Photo: Susan Fried)
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