Survivor, 11, in Seattle recalls brother gunned down parents, 3 siblings

An 11-year-old girl, the sole survivor of a mass shooting in her family’s upscale mansion in Washington State, recounted the harrowing ordeal where her own brother allegedly opened fire on their family. She shared that she woke up to the thunderous sound of gunshots before her older brother burst into her room and fired at her, according to charging documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

The young girl, in a bid to stay alive, pretended to be dead after being shot in the hand and neck. Fearing her brother would return, she closed her eyes and held her breath, the documents state. She explained to the police that her 15-year-old brother used their father’s silver handgun to fatally shoot their parents, Mark and Sarah Humiston, as well as their two brothers and a younger sister. She believes his actions were triggered by frustration over failing tests at school and facing significant trouble.

The teenage suspect, whose name remains undisclosed due to his age, was charged with five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder on Thursday.

Recalling the horrific scene, the girl tearfully described waking up during the shooting and peeking out of her bedroom door. She saw her father and 13-year-old brother lying motionless in a pool of blood in the hallway. Her 6-year-old sister, who shared a room with her, was shot and killed as she stepped into the hallway after waking up.

According to the documents, after shooting his sister twice, the teen allegedly left the room and checked the lifeless bodies of his family members by touching their necks and chests to confirm if they were dead. The girl pretended to be dead when her brother came back into her room and stood by her bed.

Seizing an opportunity, she managed to escape through her bedroom window and sought help at a neighbor’s house. She told authorities that her brother was the only one who knew the combination to their father’s gun lockbox.

The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment following the tragic incident and was released on Wednesday.

Prosecutors detailed the chilling events, alleging that the teenager “systematically murdered” his father, mother, two brothers, and sister. They also accused him of attempting to shift the blame onto his deceased 13-year-old brother by staging the scene. He claimed in a 911 call that his younger brother killed the family and then committed suicide out of fear of being discovered watching pornography.

However, police received a simultaneous emergency call from a neighbor who reported the injured girl, bleeding from her neck and hand. She identified her 15-year-old brother as the shooter. When deputies arrived at the Lake Alice Road home around 5 a.m. on Monday, they discovered the bodies of Mark and Sarah Humiston and their children in the house. They immediately took the juvenile suspect into custody.

The King County Medical Examiner confirmed each death as a homicide, per the charging documents.

The accused teen is currently being held at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center in Seattle and is scheduled to return to court on Friday.