On Friday, October 24th, Jaylen Fryberg pulled out a handgun in his school’s cafeteria and opened fire on his classmates before killing himself. The Tulalip Indian Reservation is a tight­knit community, and has struggled to find answers as to why the popular, seemingly happy freshman would have acted out so drastically. The victims include Zoe Galasso, 14, who died quickly after being shot, Gia Soriano, 14, who died at a hospital Sunday night, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, who is in critical condition, and Jaylen’s cousins, Nate Hatch, 14, and Andrew Fryberg, 15. Nate has shown improvement after being shot in the jaw, and is no longer in critical condition.

Megan Silberberger, a first­year social studies teacher, intervened in the attack by attempting to physically stop Jaylen. She is viewed as a hero by the students in the school, and the union president of the area stated that “I’m completely amazed by her actions, and I feel for her. I don’t know why she was in the cafeteria, but I’m just grateful she was there.”

The community is grief stricken, but their response has also been quite unique. Instead of feeling a strong hatred for Jaylen, people have expressed sympathy for him, and he is being remembered alongside the victims he shot. Recently, Nate Hatch, his cousin who was wounded, tweeted “I love you and I forgive you Jaylen rest in peace.” Jaylen’s troubled state is being recognised by the community as a signal to pay closer attention to students’ emotional needs. The parents and children of the area are all affected by the traumatizing event, but are trying to keep moving and stay strong, together.