Tribe seeks unity after Washington high school shooting

MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- As students and teachers at Marysville-Pilchuck High School prepare to return to the classroom after a deadly shooting, the Native American tribe the shooter belonged says it wants to help the community heal.

Friday's shooting left three dead, including the shooter, Jaylen Fryberg. Three students remain in hospitals, two in critical condition. Authorities said before opening fire, Fryberg sent a text message to the victims asking them to meet him in the cafeteria.

The Tulalip Indian tribes, of which Fryberg was a member, released a statement Wednesday denouncing his "horrific actions" and saying they were the "acts of an individual, not a family, not a tribe."

"Schools in the Marysville School District have received threats," the statement read. "While some have been directed at Native children, we are concerned for the safety of all of the children. Many of our kids are fearful to return to school, and some parents are reluctant to send them."

The victims were Zoe R. Galasso, 14, who died at the scene; Gia Soriano, 14, who died at a hospital Sunday night; Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, who is in critical condition; and Fryberg's cousins, Nate Hatch, 14, and Andrew Fryberg, 15.

"All of the young people he attacked were his friends, and two were his cousins," the tribe said. "Parents and children alike are struggling to understand what caused him to act in such a manner. Even though we may never know why, there can be no justification for taking the lives of others."

Classes at the high school will resume on Monday for the first time since the shooting.

At a meeting Tuesday night with parents, superintendent Becky Berg said the school will not reopen the cafeteria where the shooting took place.