Fatal Sibling Shooting Looks Like Accident

Bellevue Police investigators probing the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Joshua Schiffman, by his older brother continue to believe the death was an accident.

Lt. Bill Ferguson said all evidence and witnesses' statements gathered by detectives point only to a shot being fired accidentally by Joshua's 15-year-old brother. When detectives complete their investigation, a report will be sent to the King County Prosecutor's Office for a decision on whether charges should be filed.

Joshua's brother was released to his mother and grandparents after being questioned by detectives, Ferguson said.

The brothers had returned home from nearby Interlake High School and decided to watch a movie on television. While doing that, they played with a pellet rifle and a .38-caliber revolver that belonged to their parents. Joshua was a freshman at the high school and his brother was a sophomore.

The older boy had unloaded the pistol and apparently dry-fired it as Joshua played with the rifle. About 4:15 p.m, Ferguson said, after the older boy had reloaded the revolver, Joshua pointed the rifle at him. Then older boy picked up the pistol, pointed it at Joshua's chest and fired one shot, apparently having forgotten that he had reloaded it, Ferguson said.

Police responding to the older boy's 911 telephone call for help found him giving Joshua cardiopulmonary resuscitation in front of the front door of the home in the 2400 block of 161st Avenue

Northeast. Joshua was dead on arrival at Overlake Hospital Medical Center.

The death caused the Interlake High School staff and student-body leadership to postpone all homecoming events scheduled for this weekend until the Oct. 31-Nov. 2 weekend.

Last night's football game against Mercer Island High School went on as scheduled but without the usual halftime activities, said Sarah Phillips, co-principal.

The shooting has spurred comments from two organizations seeking to control use of handguns by children and to prevent accidental shootings.

Washington Cease Fire is working with Mothers Against Violence in America and other groups to place an initiative on next year's ballot that would require all new handguns sold be equipped with a key-lock trigger lock. The initiative would require all handgun buyers to take a safety course and then be licensed.

A companion to that is proposed legislation, called the Child Accident Prevention Act, that places responsibility for keeping guns away from children on the gun owner. A violation of the act would be a gross misdemeanor.

Bruce Gryniewski of Washington Cease Fire said the plans are to buy 10,000 trigger locks and give them to handgun owners who promise to use them. The locks cost $8 to $12 each.