PULLMAN, Wash. – A weekend shooting at a house party near Washington State University (WSU) left one student injured and another in custody.
Pullman Police identified the victim as Sone Falealo, a 19-year-old WSU freshman and football player. The shooting occurred around 1:45 a.m. at the Aspen Heights Apartments, located two miles north of the WSU campus. Falealo and two other WSU players were acting as security for a party following the Apple Cup.
The victim is now out of the hospital and is doing well, according to police.
The suspect, Jakori Buchanan, turned himself in late Tuesday afternoon. Buchanan is a University of Washington student. His aunt claims that he and his cousin, Marque Madden, were victims in the incident. They were reportedly chanting “Huskies” at the party when they were escorted out, leading to the shooting.
“There was a majority of like Samoans and whites, and other ethnicity up there. There wasn’t many blacks, so they singled them out too,” Gia Kennebrew ,the suspect’s aunt, said.
“Self-defense has two prongs. Defense of self, and defense of others. We believe that the actions of Jakori Buchanan were to preserve both of their safety. They’re pint sized compared to these guys,” Buchanan’s attorney, Ronnie Rae, stated.
Madden is hospitalized with collapsed lungs, fractures and severe pain from the fight. Buchanan, charged with assault, remains in custody at King County Jail.
“This isn’t a kid, who went to Pullman to cause problems. This is a kid with school pride that got bludgeoned before he had to take actions in his own hands to get safe,” Rae said.
Buchanan is expected to be transferred to Whitman County soon. If convicted, he could face at least five years in prison.
