3 teens among 5 killed inside Fall City home, juvenile suspect in custody

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Five people are dead, including two adults and three juveniles, after a reported shooting early Monday morning in the Fall City area of King County, according to the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO).

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting as a domestic violence event, saidKCSO Public Information Officer Mike Mellis. Investigators are not confirming the relationship among the victims, but multiple neighbors and other officials confirmed a family of seven, including five children and two adults, lived at the home.

“This is a significant event for the neighborhood," Mellis said. "And I’d call it a significant event for the region.”

Multiple callers reported a possible shooting at the home just before 5 a.m. Monday morning. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mellis clarified that there were initial reports about a suicide incident by "hanging." Mellis said after their preliminary investigation they determined the situation was not a suicide.

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Deputies from different parts of the county responded to the 7700 block ofLake Alice Road Southeast, near the Lake Alice public boat launch.

Before deputies arrived, they learned a neighbor with medical training gave first aid to one of the residents who survived. That resident, a teenage girl, was taken to Harborview Medical Center and is in satisfactory condition.

Mellis said that when deputies arrived at the home the incident had already concluded. Deputies immediately secured the scene on arrival and entered the home.

"When deputies got here they discovered sort of a chaotic scene, but what they did when they entered the property is they immediately took one young male, teenage male into custody," Mellis said. "What they found was a mix of injured and deceased persons."

The major crimes unit of the KCSO will lead the investigation along with the medical examiner's office but asked for help from the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to bring its crime scene response unit. WSP will take over the forensics at the scene.

“It was a traumatic scene," Mellis added. "That discovery prompted the investigation.”

Mellis said asking for help from the WSP implies that the situation is serious and will require expertise and time.

“It’s going to be a very significant, long investigation at this house," Mellis said.

The KCSO obtained and executed a search warrant on the home, Mellis said. He said he expects there to be multiple search warrants ordered beyond the initial property.

“Search warrants in 2024 are often used as technology might become relevant to a case," Mellis said. "Phone records, cloud accounts, cloud surveillance cameras.”

There were multiple agencies and departments at the scene early Monday morning.

The Issaquah Police Department, King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, andKing County Medical Examiner's Office (KCMEO) were all on the scene.

The KCMEO will be the only authority to release the name and biographical details of victims, according to Mellis.

Mellis said the KCMEO brought its own investigator and doctors to see the scene to help determine the cause and manner of death.

The neighborhood is quiet and does not see much crime or police activity, Mellis said. A general search of the address showed KCSO deputies have not responded to any significant incidents in the past at the home and it is not a "problem house," according to Mellis.

“It’s a pretty nice area, low crime rate in general," Mellis said of Fall City, an unincorporated area in King County. "This is truly one of those neighborhoods you come to escape the hustle bustle problems of a larger city, it’s supposed to be a quiet place to be, but as you can see, the worst things can happen in any location."

"Everybody in this community is going to have some effect to this tragedy," Mellis added.

Multiple neighbors told KOMO News the children who lived in the home were homeschooled.

"The younger kids especially, the sweetest children, so polite, homeschooled and it’s just unfathomable," Cameron Doerrer, who lives in the area, said. "The parents probably thought they were doing the right thing by homeschooling their children, protecting them from these sort of bad things that happen to the world and here it happens right from within, I don’t even know what to think."

"We currently understand that the family involved did not attend our schools, however, we recognize that events like this can affect all of us, including our students," Snoqualmie Valley School District Superintendent Dan Schlotfeldt wrote in a letter to parents, adding that schools will have counselors and support staff available throughout the week to help any students who may need support.

The KCSO said detectives are getting organized and determining what other resources or agencies are needed to aid in the investigation. The KCSO also said witnesses are cooperating and helping detectives with the investigation. Mellis said the KCSO does not anticipate any additional arrests.

The teenage suspect arrested is due in juvenile court Tuesday afternoon and is expected to face possible murder charges. King County prosecutors noted the teen does not have any prior criminal history in King County. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office also noted it's too early in the process to say if the teen will be charged as an adult, explaining once the sheriff's office refers the case to prosecutors, they will discuss possibly charging the teenage suspect as an adult.