Shooting deaths of 2 teenage boys found along I-5 in Seattle are related, WSP says

SEATTLE (KOMO) — The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is investigating after the bodies of two 16-year-old boys were found along Interstate 5 in Seattle. One of the teenagers was found dead Thursday night, and the other was found about a quarter-mile away less than 10 hours later Friday morning.

WSP Trooper Rick Johnson said both teenagers were fatally shot and confirmed to KOMO News on Sunday the homicides are related. Johnson said detectives also learned the two 16-year-olds who were killed knew each other after speaking to family members.

According to Johnson, someone called 911 around 10:40 p.m. Thursday to report a pedestrian had been hit on northbound I-5 north of North 85th Street. When troopers got to the scene, they determined the 16-year-old who was in the roadway had not been hit by a car and had been fatally shot.

On Friday morning, Johnson said a caller reported seeing a body in a ditch along the I-5 on-ramp at North 85th Street, which is just north of Green Lake. The Washington State Department of Transportation first tweeted about the incident at 8:10 a.m., saying the on-ramp to I-5 was blocked.

Responding troopers arrived at the scene and determined the person, who Johnson said was another 16-year-old boy, had also been fatally shot.

Johnson told KOMO News Friday afternoon it was too early to say what happened but said the cases are being investigated as homicides. On Friday evening, the King County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that one of the teenager's cause of death was "multiple gunshot wounds."

As of Friday afternoon, investigators couldn’t confirm if the shootings happened on the freeway or off the freeway somewhere.

No other information is available at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the WSP.