SNOQUALMIE _ The suspect of a shooting incident that killed
one North Bend resident, wounded two Mount Si High students and
another man on Sept. 24 is still at large.
Police reports reveal that the four victims, Jorge Temblador-Topete,
22, 14- and 15-year-old sisters and a 21-year-old man, were traveling with
the girls’ mother in a maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass on their way to a dance at
the Stadium Exhibition Center in Seattle when the incident occurred.
While the friends and the girls’ mother were stopped at a red light
at the intersection of Airport Way South and Fourth Avenue South, a man
from a car behind them ran to the driver’s side and fired shots into the car,
hitting four of the passengers.
The girls’ mother was not injured, but Temblador-Tepete died the
next morning at Harborview Hospital Medical Center in Seattle.
The 14-year-old was shot in the head but is in satisfactory condition
at Harborview. Her sister was discharged last Thursday. The 21-year-old
man suffered injuries to his arm, leg and chest and is also in satisfactory
condition at Harborview.
The identity of the 21-year-old man has not yet been released.
The girls and their mother have been identified as Valley residents
who work at Salish Lodge and Spa. The only victims who are related are
the girls, according to Jeannene, a relative of the deceased man. The
woman did not release her last name for privacy reasons.
The shooting has shaken many Valley community members. Mount
Si High Principal George Ilgenfritz said school counselors are available for
students who are upset at the shooting of their classmates.
“The word I’ve gotten from the teaching staff is that the girls are
really sweet,” he said. “Our school’s thoughts go out to their family,
that’s for sure.”
Students have put a large card on the wall for everyone to sign that
will be given to the girls, one a freshman, the other a sophomore.
“This is a very giving student body,” Ilgenfritz said.
Concerned Salish Lodge employees have set up a donation account
for the girls and their mother at the Sno-Falls Credit Union.
“Everyone’s thoughts and prayers are with the family,” said Bob
Shimer, human resources director for the lodge. “They are very good, very
nice people.”
Shimer would not confirm which department the girls and their
mother worked in, or even if they worked at the lodge, but a Sept. 28 Eastside
Journal article reported that the mother works in housekeeping and the
15-year-old works in the gift shop.
In addition to the Salish fund, an account has been set up to help
with Temblador-Topete’s funeral costs and to send his body back to
Mexico, where he is originally from and where most of his relatives live.
Jeannene explained that funeral and airline costs, including a ticket
to send the victim’s 18-year-old brother to the funeral in Mexico, will total
almost $3,000.
The perpetrator of the shooting has not been caught. Police are still
investigating the case and searching for the shooter, who was described as
approximately 20 years old and was reported to be driving an import car
with darkly tinted windows.
Although there was speculation that the shooting was gang-related
in the Eastside Journal article, Temblador-Topete’s
relative, Jeannene, said the victim
“definitely did not belong to a gang.” She
explained that the belt he was wearing the night of the shooting, which had
a “13” on it, was not gang-related and was just a product of Mexico.
The Seattle Police Department will not speculate on any possible
motives for the incident. However, Seattle police officer Pam McCammon said
this type of shooting is rare.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting should call
Seattle police detectives at (206) 464-3303 or (206) 684-5550.
Donations for the girls and their mother can be given at the
Sno-Falls Credit Union, with outlets located at 9025 Meadowbrook Way S.E.
in Snoqualmie, 4219 Preston-Fall City Road S.E. in Fall City, or 330
Main Ave. S. in North Bend.
At the same credit-union locations, an account has been set up under
the name of Jorge Temblador for funeral costs.
