Teenage boy shoots girlfriend, bystander at Grant County Fairgrounds

A Wenatchee boy has been arrested after an alleged shooting at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake.

The Grant County Fair will go on as planned on Saturday (the final night of the festivities), but law enforcement is ramping up its presence significantly.

The following report was provided by Kyle Foreman, spokesman for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Friday, a gang-related fight at the fairgrounds got out of hand. It started with the 15-year-old suspect verbally abusing a rival gang member. The episode quickly escalated into violence; this happened at several fairground attractions on the south side of the fairgrounds.

The suspect had a weapon – a pistol – with him. He accidentally fired one round as he tried to draw the weapon. The bullet hit his 16-year-old girlfriend, went through her back before hitting an “unrelated” 14-year-old in the leg.

The panicked suspect fled on foot, but was intercepted by fairgoers who pushed the suspect off balance before tackling him and getting him under control.

Officers with the Crime Reduction Team, a unit within the Sheriff’s Office, quickly arrested him and seized the firearm. The suspect is being held at the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center in Wenatchee.

Investigators are proposing serious charges: first-degree assault with a firearm or deadly weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

As previously reported, two young girls were injured by the shooter. Both were treated at Moses Lake’s Samaritan Healthcare and are reported to be in stable condition. Their injuries, while serious, are not believed to be life-threatening.

Witnesses to the shooting are encouraged to contact detectives at 509-762-1160. Case number: 24GS10016.