SEATTLE — Reggie Witherspoon coached Amarr Murphy for three years at Garfield High School and said the young man was a peacemaker with a bright future.
Sadly, Murphy was gunned down in the parking lot of Garfield High School Thursday around lunchtime.
“Devastated,” Witherspoon said. “This one for me it hit different. When I heard that news, I’m like you gotta be kidding me?”
Seattle Police say that some sort of fight broke out and that Murphy stepped in to try to calm things down. Tragically, one of the teens from the original fight pulled out a gun and shot Murphy several times in the chest.
“When I learned that he was breaking up a fight for me that sounded familiar, Amarr is a peacemaker, doesn’t start trouble, doesn’t look for trouble,” Witherspoon said.
The suspect ran off and still hasn’t been caught.
Police say the shooter is of high school age, wearing a red hoodie, light pants or jeans, and white shoes.
Murphy was taken to Harborview and went into surgery in serious condition but did not survive.
“To have heard that news yesterday was totally devastating,”
Witherspoon said. Witherspoon described Murphy as a hard worker, telling KIRO 7 the young man battled through an injury to make the varsity football team and was gearing up for his senior year.
“I said let me ask you a question, are you deserving of this varsity stuff because I gave him a JV jersey and he said you’re right I’m not and I’m going to earn it and that’s exactly what he did,” Witherspoon said. “Murphy wasn’t just talented on the field but off the field too.”
“That same excitement and love that he raps with is the exact same way he plays football, swagged out, looks good, feels good,” Witherspoon said. “This kid lost his dream at one point when he suffered his injury but he picked back up and kept going to the finish line and so now he’s succumbed to his injuries as of yesterday.”
If you have any information on what happened or who the shooter is, call Seattle Police immediately.
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