Jaylen Fryberg: From Homecoming Prince to Mass Murderer

Jaylen Fryberg shot six of his best friends, killing four and himself during a mass shooting at Marysville-Pilchuk High School.

On the morning of October 24, 2014, 15-year-old Jaylen Fryberg texted his friends and asked them to meet him in the school cafeteria for lunch. He dressed in all black, tied his long black hair into a bun, and threw on a hat. He walked to his dad’s truck, grabbed a Beretta handgun his dad had recently purchased, and tossed it into his backpack. He then hopped on the school bus and headed to Marysville-Pilchuk High.

When Jaylen arrived at school, he texted his ex-girlfriend, Shilene George. She ignored his text. He then texted a friend who attended high school on the reservation. In the message, Jaylen sent a photo of himself holding the gun between his legs. He asked the friend to tell Shilene to call him before he did what he had to do.

Shilene called Jaylen, and over the next 2 ½ minutes, he told her he did not want to be in this world anymore. He said he was unhappy and couldn’t go on without her.  He then texted his father saying, “Read the paper on my bed. Dad, I love you.”

He texted 14 family members a message titled, “Funeral Shit.”

The Day Jaylen Snapped

It was time.

Jaylen’s friends - Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, Zoe Galasso, Andrew Fryberg, Nate Hatch, Keryn Parks, and Carmen Lopez, met in the cafeteria as promised. Two friends skipped class because Jaylen had asked them to come to the cafeteria. The friends sat down at the table with Jaylen and started a conversation like usual. None of his friends knew the horror that was about to unfold. 

Around 150 students roamed the noisy cafeteria in groups, discussing the recent homecoming dance, their latest crushes, and other typical conversations high school kids have while searching for a spot to sit down. Jaylen and his friends munched on pizza as they chatted at their table.

Without saying a word, Jaylen unzipped his camouflage backpack, removed the Beretta, and pointed it at Shaylee. He pulled the trigger. One by one, Jaylen calmly aimed the gun at each of his friends, shooting in a counterclockwise motion until he emptied the clip.

He shot Shaylee and then Zoe, both in the head, now lying in pools of their blood on the ground. Jaylen stood up to reload his weapon; Carmen scrambled to get away from the chaos; Keryn dropped to the floor, unharmed, and hid under the table.

Chaos ensued as one student pulled the fire alarm. Students ran in every direction, some tripping and falling to the ground as their screams and cries echoed through the cafeteria. Keryn noticed Gia moving and held her hand, doing her best to comfort her dying friend. Nate had been shot in the jaw. He hid under the table on his hands and knees.

Only minutes had passed, yet it felt like an eternity for the horrified, panicked students. 

Social Studies teacher Megan Silbeberger ran toward Jaylen as she watched him reload his weapon. As she approached him and grabbed for his arm, Jaylen turned the gun toward himself, pushed it against his neck, and pulled the trigger. He died instantly.

The school went on lockdown.

Police officers arrived minutes later, finding Keryn holding onto her dying friend. They pried her away and began evacuating students and helping Jaylen’s victims. Four people were dead, another was in critical condition.

Still in shock, Keryn called Shilene to tell her what happened.

Not Your Typical School Shooter

Jaylen met Shilene in the fifth grade, and the two had been inseparable until the 9th grade homecoming dance. He was popular in school, played sports, and had a large social group. Jaylen lived with a loving family as part of the Tulalip tribe. 

The National Association of School Psychologists says, “There is NO profile of a student who will cause them harm,” although statistics show school shooters often share commonalities. 

According to a study published published by the Brookings Institute, school shooters often share the following similarities:

• The majority (95%) are male, white (61%) individuals who feel “marginalized.” Many report a history of rejection from their peers and/or family members
• More than half of all school shooters have a history of mental illness and psychological problems, including bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and psychopathic conditions. The vast majority had been diagnosed with one or more mental health conditions.
• Many school shooters display a fascination with guns or a preoccupation with violence, including violent video games, horror books, and movies. Many school shooters share a common interest in Hitler, the Columbine shooting, and/or Satanism.
• Many school shooters have been subjected to bullying in school or experienced a difficult break-up.

Jaylen suffered from mental illness, although he did not fit any of the other similarities shared by school shooters. 

Who Was Jaylen Fryberg?

He embraced his Native American heritage and culture. He proudly wore his headdresses and feathers and participated regularly in drum circles and dances. Elders saw potential in Jaylen and felt he would be a great tribal leader one day. His grandfather taught him how to fish, and his father taught him how to hunt. He loved every moment of his Native American lifestyle.

Hunting was one of Jaylen’s favorite pastimes. He once said the experience of being with his dad and brother was the most thrilling aspect of being hunting and outdoors.

In the days before the shooting, Jaylen was crowned “Homecoming Prince” at his high school. The night of the dance, life took a turn for the worse for Jaylen.

At the dance, Shilene accused Jaylen of flirting with another girl. An argument after the dance turned violent, and Shilene broke off their relationship.

This was Jaylen’s breaking point.

His mental health had taken a turn for the worse after he started his Freshman year at Marysville-Pilchuk High School. He had been given the option to attend high school on the reservation or in the neighboring town. He chose public high school, although adjusting to his new surroundings seemed impossible. All the new kids, scenery, and the new personalities he encountered off the reservation seemed overwhelming.

He had been kicked off the football team after getting into a fight with another player who made a racist remark about him. He had begun arguing with Shilene often and had a short fuse with her, something he had never done before. His friends said he had started acting “psycho” after the break-up, although his Twitter account showed his odd behavior began much earlier.

Some of the tweets Jaylen posted in the months leading to the shooting and after the breakup included:

“Fuck it, I might as well die now.”

“It’s about to go down.”

“Your (sic) gonna piss me off. And then some shit gonna go down. And I don’t think your (sic) gonna like it.”

“I hate that I can't live without you.”

Shilene asked Jaylen to leave her alone and eventually stopped responding to him. At one point, Jaylen tweeted

“Ohk well don’t bother coming to my funeral.”

 Heartbroken after the breakup, Jaylen texted Shilene again on October 22.

"I set the date. Hopefully, you regret not talking to me. You have no idea what I’m talking about. But you will.”

Another tweet read,

“Bang bang I'm dead.”

She again asked Jaylen to stop bothering her.

The next day, Jaylen tweeted what would be his last tweet.

“It won't last… It’ll never last…”

My Funeral Shit

The text Jaylen sent out to his 14 family members titled “My Funeral Shit” told its readers that he wanted to be buried next to Andrew and Nate, two of the kids he would soon shoot. He wanted to be buried in “brand new expensive as (sic) shit camo.” He asked his family members to apologize to his victim’s families and tell them he didn’t want to go alone… 

“I needed my ride or dies with me on the other side.” He wanted his funeral to be “POPPIN!!” and asked his family to eat deer meat, play “Hot Nigga” and several other rap songs. He ended the text by saying “I LOVE YOU FAMILY!! I really do! More then (sic) anything. I needed to do this tho… I wasn’t happy. And I needed my crew with me too. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Aftermath

Five people, including Jaylen, died that tragic day.

Zoe was the first person to die after the shooting, and then Gia and Shaylee died at the hospital. All died from single gunshot wounds to their heads. Andrew Fryberg had been shot twice in the head. He passed away from his injuries in the hospital two and one-half weeks later.

Keryn and Carmen survived, as did Nate. He underwent numerous surgeries. After the shooting, he said he still considered Jaylen “like a brother.” Jaylen's friends still loved him, despite the devastation he had just caused.

Nate Hatch posted on social media:

“I love you and I forgive you Jaylen. Rest in Peace.’

Another friend posted,

“Don't you dare speak of Jaylen badly. He is loved and will always be loved. He just wasn't in the right state of mind. I love him.”

Ray Fryberg became the brunt of hate after the incident, although no one seemed to hold any animosity toward Jaylen. Some of his friends defended him mightily if anyone attempted to say a bad word about Jaylen. 

The public and police blamed Ray for the incident since he owned guns when he should not have due to his status as a felon. He was arrested in the aftermath and spent time in prison.

Shilene was left heartbroken over the loss of Jaylen and her friends. After his death, she posted on Facebook: 

"I love you with all I have, Jaylen Ray. You have my heart and you will forever be my soulmate. Rest easy, baby boy."

My condolences to everyone involved in this tragedy.