PORTLAND, Ore. — Hillsboro police revealed Tuesday that two teenagers have been taken into custody in connection with a deadly shooting at a house party over the weekend that left one high school student dead and another injured.
The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. on Saturday at a party on Northeast 34th Place in Hillsboro. A 17-year-old Hillsboro High School student died, while a 16-year-old from Liberty High School was hurt. The latter teen is expected to recover.
According to the Hillsboro Police Department, detectives from the agency worked with the Washington County Major Crimes Team to investigate the shooting. By Monday night, they'd identified two suspects in the shooting and took them into custody.
Both suspects are 17-year-old boys, Hillsboro police said. Their charges include second-degree murder with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, according to the Washington County Juvenile Services Department.
Neither the victims nor the suspects are being publicly identified by police as they are all minors.
The Hillsboro School District released a statement Wednesday morning, saying in part, "We are both relieved and heartbroken by news of the arrest. For the families of the victims, the students who bore witness to or were in the vicinity of the situation, other students who have been fearful for their safety since the incident, and for the broader community — this news brings some measure of comfort."
The statement went on to say the school district will continue to help students "avoid destructive pathways to violence."
Hillsboro School District Superintendent Travis Reiman held a news conference Monday morning to address the incident. The district brought in additional counselors and mental health specialists on Monday for students struggling in the wake of the shooting, and law enforcement also had an increased presence on campus.
"Our student’s passing is heartbreaking for all of us," Hillsboro High School Principal Cary Meier said Monday. "It will take time to heal, but we will get through it together. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to their family, friends, and all who knew them."
Hillsboro police said that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call non-emergency dispatch.
