By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last Friday, Students, families, teachers, and community members gathered in front of Garfield High School to mark the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of their 17-year-old classmate Amarr Murphy-Paine.
Murphy-Paine was fatally shot in the school’s parking lot on June 6, 2024. According to police reports, he was attempting to break up an altercation between the suspected shooter and another individual. After trying to intervene, he walked away, only to be approached and shot multiple times.
Police responded to the scene at approximately 12:45 p.m. and found Murphy-Paine with life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he underwent surgery but ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
On the anniversary of his death, hundreds returned to the Garfield campus to pay tribute. Students painted memorials on the pavement of the parking lot, while family members, friends, and community leaders addressed the crowd, urging action to curb gun violence and celebrating Murphy-Paine’s life with emotional tributes and spirited call-and-response moments.
Among those in attendance was Appolonia Washington, owner of A 4 Apple Learning Center in Seattle’s Central Area. In 2023, her center was directly affected by gun violence when a shooting occurred just outside its building at 23rd and Jackson. Drawing from that personal experience, Washington emphasized the importance of standing in solidarity with families who have suffered similar losses.
“It is important that the community shows up to represent for a family who lost their child here on the school campus,” Washington said. “When one hurts, we all hurt. I can’t imagine being in that family’s shoes, but I know as my son being one of Amarr’s classmates it really affected him, and so I am here to represent and to let the family and the community know that we care and are here to be of action and unity against gun violence.”
The gathering came amid renewed concerns over youth violence in King County. According to first-quarter 2025 data from local police agencies compiled by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the county recorded 13 fatal shooting victims, 47 nonfatal shooting victims, and 278 total shots fired incidents. The report excludes suicides, confirmed self-inflicted shootings, self-defense cases, and officer-involved shootings.
Among the 60 shooting victims recorded in the first quarter of 2025, 50% were identified as Black or African American, and 87% were male. The most affected age group was 18 to 24 years old, accounting for 28% of victims, followed by those ages 30 to 39 at 22%, and ages 25 to 29 close behind. Although the overall number of shooting victims decreased by 41% compared to the same period in 2024, Black or African American males remained disproportionately affected—a trend consistent with the past five years.
While Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell was unable to attend Friday’s memorial, he has previously spoken out about the urgency of addressing gun violence and its impact on communities of color.
“In our country, every day, more than 110 Americans are killed by gun violence,” Harrell said. “Alongside, more than 200 are shot and wounded. On average, there are nearly 16,000 gun homicides in America every year. We know the data is very clear that Black, Indigenous, mixed-race, and Latino young people in King County are disproportionately being exposed to gun violence.”
Among the community voices at the Garfield gathering was 19-year-old activist Jazzmin Barrett, who emphasized the need to keep pushing for systemic change.
“What we are doing here today is speaking against gun violence,” Barrett said. “Especially on this day, June 6, because on June 6, 2024, only a year ago, a young man was shot. He was only 17 years old.”
Barrett also raised concerns about safety protocols in schools.
“Someone from somewhere else was able to get on the campus, and on top of that, allegedly there was an incident where a student came to school with a rifle, and there were no evacuations, no parents were notified, and there was no safety—just uncertainty,” she said.
“Amarr’s life being taken—that was the cost, that was the price,” Barrett added. “We are just trying to really fight and push forward.”
