LYNNWOOD—A 15-year-old Meadowdale High School student was arrested yesterday in connection with the shooting that took place at Meadowdale Neighborhood Park last week, on Friday, March 6.
The arrest was conducted by detectives, working with the Lynnwood Police Department, in cooperation with the department’s Special Operations Section. In their investigations, the agency found the shooting was the result of two different groups of students who had met at the park late at night for a scheduled fight.
Detectives and members of the Special Operations Section worked throughout the weekend following investigative leads that ultimately led to the suspect’s identification and arrest.
During this encounter, the suspect arrived in a vehicle, exited, and fired multiple rounds, striking another 15-year-old student twice, the Lynnwood PD said. The victim has been released from the hospital and is recovering.
The shooting unfolded around 1:27 p.m. at Meadowdale Park off 168th Street Southwest, a spot bustling with kids just after school let out. Lynnwood police Commander Joe Dickinson told KIRO7 officers arrived to find the victim, who had been wounded but managed to run home and call 911 himself. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where doctors listed him in stable condition
Authorities believe the shooter, also a Meadowdale High student, fled the scene in a vehicle. No arrests were made by Friday evening, and police are piecing together the incident.
In response, Meadowdale High, Meadowdale Middle, Meadowdale Elementary and Beverly Elementary were in locked down around 1:30 p.m. Students and staff stayed sheltered inside while officers secured the park. The all-clear came about 35 minutes later, with officials confirming no wider threat.
Edmonds School District Assistant Superintendent Greg Schwab emailed families, calling safety the top concern and commending the swift actions of police and school teams. He urged parents to talk with their kids and said counselors would be on hand Monday for anyone needing support.
Law enforcement believes the incident was believed to be gang-affiliated, this specific incident cannot be definitively stated as gang related, the Lynnwood PD said.
While the suspect is believed to have gang affiliations, investigators cannot definitively state that the incident itself was gang related.
The suspect was booked into Denney Juvenile Justice Center on charges of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the Second Degree, and Drive-By Shooting. The drive-by shooting charge stems from the suspect’s use of a vehicle to facilitate the crime.
The firearm used in the shooting has not yet been recovered.
Following the shooting, Lynnwood Mayor George Hurst released a statement saying:
“On Friday afternoon, our community was shaken by an act of violence after a shooting at Meadowdale Park that left one person injured. My thoughts are with the victim, a Meadowdale High School student, and I wish him a swift and complete recovery,”
“Violence is never acceptable, yet it continues to impact the youth of our City. We must work together as a community to address the root causes of this type of brutality in Lynnwood.”
“I want to express my gratitude to our Police Detectives for their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts to resolve this case. If you witnessed the incident at Meadowdale Park or have any information that could assist the investigation, please reach out to Lynnwood Police Detective, as soon as possible, at crimetips@lynnwoodwa.gov.”
Though an arrest was made, this remains an active investigation, and detectives will continue coordinating with the school district and the prosecutor’s office as the case moves forward.
Related incidents:
Since 2020 there have been nine reported shooting incidents involving teenagers resulting in four fatalities.
July 13, 2022 (Lynnwood): Two teenagers were injured in a drive-by shooting near 164th Street Southwest.
July 14, 2022 (Lynnwood): Two teenage boys, ages 15 and 16, were fatally shot at Spruce Park. This incident occurred a day after the nearby drive-by and left both victims dead from gunshot wounds.
July 3, 2024 (Lynnwood): A 13-year-old girl, Jayda Woods-Johnson (a Brier Terrace Middle School student), was fatally shot at Alderwood Mall during an altercation between two groups of teens. She was an innocent bystander. The suspect, a 16-year-old boy from Edmonds.
December 31, 2024 (Lynnwood): A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot, and another teenage boy was injured in a shooting at an apartment complex in the 19700 block of 68th Avenue West on New Year’s Eve.
January 14, 2025 (Edmonds): An 18-year-old man was shot multiple times near the Edmonds fishing pier and Arnie’s restaurant around 2:30 a.m. He was left in critical condition.
February 8, 2025 (Lynnwood): A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot in an accidental incident at a home in the 19900 block of 56th Avenue West. A group of unsupervised juveniles was present; police ruled it accidental, but no charges were specified.
February 25, 2025 (Lynnwood): A 15-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the groin near the 4000 block of Alderwood Mall Boulevard. He had an outstanding warrant. His 13-year-old friend was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm. The victim was hospitalized but survived.
March 6, 2026 (Lynnwood): A 15-year-old boy (a Meadowdale High School student) was shot at Meadowdale Park around 1:20 p.m.
March 9, 2026 (Lynnwood): A 17-year-old teen was shot around the 15900 block of Highway 99 in unincorporated Lynnwood, at approximately 8:50 p.m. He was transferred to Providence Medical with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. A 15-year-old suspect was apprehended.
School Resource Officers (SROs) were removed from the Edmonds School District in June 2020, with the program fully dissolved in August 2020 after the Edmonds School board voted unanimously to cancel its remaining contract with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, removing the SRO Program from Lynnwood High School. The decision came amid nationwide discussions on police presence in schools following the George Floyd protests.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
