Using his cane to guide him, Andy Isidoro, 14, walked into a room to meet retired Mount Vernon Officer Mike McClaughry. The pair shook hands, then hugged. They share a special bond: Both were shot in the head and blinded.
Read KIRO 7's previous coverage of 14-year-old Andy Isidoro and Mount Vernon Officer Mike McClaughry >>
Isidoro wants to become a police officer and was eager to meet the now-retired officer. For McClaughry, it was time to offer comfort and encouragement.
Isidoro was riding in the passenger seat in his mother's van when a bullet struck him in the head, blinding him instantly. The shooting happened Dec. 20 on SR 509 in Burien around 11 p.m.
Detectives from the Washington State Patrol and King County Sheriff's Office are investigating the shooting. It is one of 11 shootings in that area since June that investigators think could be linked. They released a sketch of a possible suspect connected to a red SUV but investigators aren't sure if the gunmen are the same. They do think the same shooter who hit Isidoro also shot at a Des Moines house.
Officer Mike McClaughry was shot while responding to a shooting in Mount Vernon in 2016.
Today, McClaughry showed Isidoro how to identify different coins by feeling the ridges on the side. He gave Isidoro a 50 cent piece his parents had given him, and he told the teen it reminds him of his family. McClaughry told Isidoro people would reach out to help him, and that he should let them.
Investigators hope someone has information that will help them find the gunman responsible for shooting Isidoro and are seeking tips from the public. You can call 425-401-7880 or email SR509shootingtip@wsp.wa.gov.
Cox Media Group
