Faith community offers healing after Wash. shooting

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — For three weeks, pain has been the topic of sermons at Grove Church. However, no one imagined the topic would hit home in the form of a deadly shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

"It's such a difficult situation, and I don't think there's a script on how you respond," said Heather Baumgart, whose husband, Nik Baumgart, leads the Grove Church. It's a church now helping the community to heal.

"I think that's the hard part is just seeing that everyone is reeling from this and nobody knows how to deal with it," said Baumgart.

While Grove's congregation didn't see the violence coming, they find comfort knowing there's a greater power that did.

"As a church, we had already been ready," said Baumgart. "God was preparing us for what we didn't already know, the tragedy we would be experiencing."

Although Marysville-Pilchuck High has announced it will be closed this week, the Grove Church announced it will keep its doors open to serve students and families.

Authorities said 14-year-old Jaylen Fryberg opened fire in the high school cafeteria Friday, shooting several classmates, including cousins and longtime friends. Described as a popular football player, a homecoming prince and well-liked by his classmates, community members were struggling to figure out what led Fryberg to act so violently.

"What triggered him? That's what we need to find out," said state Sen. John McCoy, a member of the Tulalip Indian Reservation where Fryberg was from. "Because from all we have determined, he was a happy-go-lucky, normal kid."

Of the wounded students, only 14-year-old Nate Hatch showed improvement, though he remained in serious condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Fifteen-year-old Andrew Fryberg remained in critical condition in intensive care. Both are cousins of Jaylen Fryberg.

Meanwhile, 14-year-olds Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano remained in critical condition in intensive care at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

The girl killed in the shooting hasn't been officially identified.

Fryberg died in the attack, after a first-year teacher intervened. It's unclear if he intentionally killed himself or if the gun went off in a struggle with teacher Megan Silberberger.

The Snohomish County medical examiner's office said it was unlikely to have autopsy results before Monday.

School officials planned to hold a community meeting Sunday evening for students, parents and staff to discuss how to heal and move on from the tragedy. The school said health counselors and specialists would be on hand to help parents and students who are struggling to cope with the shooting.

"There's no question that our community has experienced a deep wound," Pastor Nik Baumgart said during Sunday's service.

The message resonated with Darrell Walker, a member of the Grove congregation.

"I'm a teacher in the district, I went to school at MP and I grew up in this community — I've been here my whole life," he said. "I don't think we shouldn't be doing this on our own. First and foremost we need to lean on God."

Contributing: The Associated Press