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Ingraham High School shooting victim was a 17-year-old senior

By Sara Jean Green, The Seattle Times
Published: November 17, 2022, 7:35am

SEATTLE — The student fatally shot in a hallway last week at North Seattle’s Ingraham High School has been identified as a 17-year-old senior.

Little has been shared publicly about Ebenezer Haile since he was shot five times from behind last Tuesday, reportedly following a fight in a bathroom over possession of the gun used in the homicide. A GoFundMe campaign, meanwhile, has raised more than $40,000 to help his family.

Haile’s name surfaced publicly in the online crowdfunding campaign, then Tuesday in King County Juvenile Court, where a victim advocate read aloud a statement from his aunt.

His aunt, who lives near the high school, said in the statement that her nephew and his friends would often drop by for snacks.

“The family does not wish this pain of losing a child on anyone,” a second statement attributed to the family read, adding they want to see “all parties involved held accountable.”

Two family members reached by phone Wednesday declined to comment. Ingraham Principal Martin Floe also declined an interview about the shooting, though Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Bev Redmond issued a statement.

“Our collective hearts are broken over the tragic, on-campus death of one of our Ingraham High School students and the senseless act of gun violence that claimed his life,” Redmond said in an email. “His family, friends, and entire school community are forever changed.”

Student demonstrators didn’t publicly refer to Haile by name during a walkout Monday — instead demanding more mental health resources and gun safety measures — though at least one student held a sign reading, “rest in peace EB.” Those who assembled at a vigil hours after the shooting didn’t appear to know him personally and shared no specifics.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office expects to officially release the victim’s name and cause and manner of death Thursday.

A 14-year-old boy, meanwhile, remains held in juvenile detention, charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the death and first-degree assault for shooting at another 17-year-old, who was not hit, according to King County prosecutors. Prosecutors have signaled that they’re seeking to have his criminal case moved to adult court.

The Glock 32 handgun used in the shooting was found in a backpack belonging to a 15-year-old boy, who was arrested with the 14-year-old on a Metro bus in North Seattle about an hour after the shooting. The 15-year-old, who also remains in detention, was charged with felony first-degree rendering criminal assistance.

Both boys have also been charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm because they are too young to legally have a handgun. The Seattle Times typically does not name juvenile suspects unless they are charged as adults.

One of the 14-year-old’s friends brought the gun to school, and there was a fight in a bathroom over possession of the weapon about 10 minutes before the shooting, charging papers say.

After news broke of the shooting just before 10 a.m. last Tuesday, hundreds of parents rushed to the school to be reunited with their children. Thousands of Seattle students later rallied Monday outside Seattle City Hall, calling for better mental health support, more restrictions on gun access and more training for security staff.

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