SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash – A teenager shot last week in Spokane Valley was a 17-year-old Lewis and Clark High School student, preparing to graduate.
The Spokane Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teenager who was killed near 16th and Pines as Carter Cochran.
Cochran’s grandmother says he lost his mom two years ago to a rare form of leukemia.
“He was a wonderful child with a whole future in front of him,” Kimberly Carroll said. “He was loved by so many.”
Carroll also said that Cochran was “a kid in crisis and he needed help.”
Investigators say Cochran was in crisis last Wednesday night and was standing in the road on 16th Avenue.
Deputies say Cochran got into a car occupied by three adults. The driver, who was armed, got Cochran out of the car “and the confrontation escalated.”
The driver then shot Cochran, who died at the scene.
Deputies say the driver stayed at the scene and was not arrested.
Cochran played football and participated in track and field for Lewis and Clark.
“He was not only full of light, but full of strength,” said a GoFundMe account set up to support his family. “Even while facing his own challenges, Carter never stopped showing up for the people he loved. His kindness, wisdom, and unwavering faith inspired everyone around him—whether they shared his beliefs or not. He loved deeply, and that love was felt by all who knew him.”
“He was deeply loved, and he will be deeply missed,” the post said.
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