SEATTLE — It’s been one year since the shooting death of 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine at Garfield High School and no arrests have been made.
On Friday, hundreds of his classmates, loved ones and community members staged a walkout at the high school to demand an end to violence.
“Even though it’s been a year, it’s been a slow motion for me as a parent,” said Amarr’s mother Sherrica McCall.
Amarr was killed at lunchtime while trying to break up a fight.
“We did the best that we could,” McCall said. “We did a phenomenal job for our son to even have the courage to step up.”
McCall and Amarr’s father, Arron Murphy-Paine, have helped lead the charge for change in the wake of his death.
“When love comes together, that’s the only thing that can negate hate,” Murphy-Paine said.
Both helped lead the walkout at Garfield High School, advocating for students to treat one another better and for safer school campuses.
It has been an impossibly difficult year for the school community. In October, another Garfield High School student was shot and killed in Seattle’s Central District. He was 15 years-old.
Then, in April, another Garfield High student was shot and killed at a house party in Yakima.
“We honor their memory by continuing to do good work, and in that we want to keep this from ever happening again,” said Alicia Spanswick, a Garfield parent and co-president of the Garfield PTSA.
“It’s a strong community, so we keep getting up and showing up for each other, but that doesn’t mean it’s not very difficult,” said Garfield senior Rilan Springer.
Springer said attendance has decreased and more students have transferred out of the school.
“It has a permanent impact,” she said.
School board officials are weighing ways to improve safety at Garfield High School. This week, the board discussed a proposal to bring Seattle Police back to the campus, after a moratorium in 2020 removed police inside campuses at SPS.
“I think not only SPD but many people in the community, many people who are parents, teachers, and students would like to see some meaningful engagement of our police officers inside the school,” Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told KIRO 7 earlier this year.
The proposal would add a School Engagement Officer at Garfield High School for a pilot program. No decision has been reached.
Not everyone is on board with the idea.
“I do think that they should be outside of the school,” Springer said. “We can’t trust the cops yet. While I think that our safety is important, I think it’ll take a second to fully include them.”
“I think more adults is better, as long as those adults all have the same goal of keeping these kids safe and not criminalizing their really normal teenage behavior,” Spanswick said.
Seattle Public Schools told KIRO 7 it had already taken several steps to improve safety at Garfield.
“The number of SPS Safety and Security Specialists has doubled this year, and the district added contract security staff to help monitor the perimeter of the building,” a representative wrote in a statement. “SPS has also made physical improvements, including a secure vestibule at the front entrance, upgrades to exterior doors, and added monitoring systems.”
The representative also said that the district launched a pilot program last year to station an officer at the nearby Teen Life Center.
“We know that safety is not just about physical measures—it’s also about fostering a culture of care, trust, and open dialogue,” the representative wrote. “There will always be a need for ongoing conversation, and we are committed to listening, learning, and working together to end gun violence near our schools.”
While many disagree about the idea of bringing an officer on campus, hundreds in attendance at Friday’s walkout cheered in agreement something must change.
“If Amarr were here, what do you think he would say about all this?” KIRO 7’s Madeline Ottilie asked Murphy-Paine.
“Amarr would say good job, you’re doing good,” he answered. “He’s right here in my heart. He’s right here in everybody’s heart that loved him and that he loved, so at the end of the day, he sees this, and he knows what’s going on, and he’s smiling.”
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