Third schoolgirl dies in hospital

Third schoolgirl dies in hospital from gunshot wounds inflicted by 'heartbroken' friend in Washington high school love triangle shooting

A third victim of the Washington high school shooting has died a week after a teen-aged gunman opened fire on a group of his best friends and family members involved in a tragic love triangle.

Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, succumbed to gunshot  wounds she suffered when 15-year-old Jaylen Fryberg opened fire on the group in the canteen at Marysville-Pilchuck High School during a lunch break.

Known to her family as 'Shay' she passed away at the Providence Medical Center as a result of 'severe injuries'.  

Her friend Gia Soriano, 14, and the girl the schoolboy gunman had a crush on, Zoe Galasso, 14, were also killed in the tragic shooting.

Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Mr Hatch, 14, were the shooter's cousins and Ms Soriano and Ms Chuckulnaskit, also 14, were close friends of the group.

Shaylee's family said in a statement: 'Our hearts are broken at the passing of our beautiful daughter. Shay means everything to us.

In Shay’s short life she has been a radiant light bringing us incredible joy and happiness. She has been a loving daughter, a caring sister, a devoted friend and a wonderful part of our community. We can’t imagine life without her.

'We have been overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and support of our family, friends and community. We are deeply grateful for all the acts of kindness that have come our way. We especially want to thank the medics and Providence staff who have cared for Shay.

'We request that everyone please provide us the privacy we need so we can grieve our loss. Thank you.'

She is the third victim following the deaths of Zoe Galasso, who died at the scene and Gia Soriano who died on Sunday. 

Gia's family said in a statement: 'We are devastated by this senseless tragedy. Gia is our beautiful daughter and words cannot express how much we'll miss her. 

'We’ve made the decision to donate Gia’s organs so that others may benefit. 

'Our daughter was loving, kind and this gift honors her life.

'Thank you to Providence for their excellent care – bar none – from beginning to end. 

'Thank you to our friends and family who have supported us. Thank you to Drs. Bill Finley, Sanford Wright and Anita Tsen for their tremendous support and compassion. And thank you, to Bill and Ben with LifeCenter.

'We ask that you please respect our privacy and give us the space and time we need to grieve and spend time together as a family in memory of Gia.' 

She died at the Providence Medical Center, which described Ms Soriano's death at 9.30pm PST as a 'senseless tragedy' and invited the community to join a minute's silence at 10.39am on Monday - exactly 72 hours after the attack.

One of the two remaining survivors - Andrew Fryberg - are still in critical condition being treated for severe head wounds.

The third, Nate Hatch, is recovering but cannot talk and still has a bullet in his chest. 

Last night, Nate gave hope to friends and relatives reeling in shock by posting a Facebook update from his bed at Harborview Medical Center saying: 'Greatful [sic] to be alive'.

He was shot in the jaw by his cousin and best friend, Jaylen.

His grandfather, Donald Hatch, revealed Nate had started communicating with his family by writing notes.

Donald Hatch told King5 reporter Alex Rozier that Nate knows it was his close cousin Jaylen who opened fire on the group of friends.

He said one of the notes Nate had written to his family reads: 'Grandpa, I still have a bullet in my chest'.

'His eyes could barely open,' Mr Hatch added. 

The other survivor, Andrew Fryberg, is fighting for life at the same hospital as Nate Hatch, Harborview.

It has been claimed Jaylen had a crush on Zoe Galasso and became heartbroken when she dated his cousin, Andrew.

Ms Galasso was sitting around a table with her friends at Marysville-Pilchuck High School on Friday when Jaylen Fryberg opened fire.

She was pictured attending the homecoming dance at the Washington school with Andrew Fryberg after she and Jaylen Fryberg fell out, just days before the deadly attack.

In an ominous indication of the anger that spurred his deadly tirade, Jaylen tweeted last month: 'Dude. She tells me everything. And now I f***ing HATE you! Your no longer my 'Brother'!' Jaylen had previously treated Andrew like a brother, and was devastated to learn the girl who rejected him and chosen his cousin instead.

The teenage girls are believed to be friends of Jaylen Fryberg, with witnesses suggesting he targeted them in a room full of hundreds of students. 

Lukas Thorington, 14, a freshman at Marysville's other public high school who grew up with Ms Galasso and Ms Chuckulnaksit said they were outgoing, popular kids.

He told the Seattle Times: 'Zoe was very outgoing. She was into sports. She was nice and awesome. She was fun to hang out with.' 

Corey Williams, 37, is friends with Zoe's mother and wanted to help, so he set up a fundraising page to raise money for the Galasso family. Donations have already exceeded $14,000.

He told the paper: 'I'm pretty surprised. I put $10,000 as the goal as a pie-in-the-sky thing. I'm shocked.'

A picture uploaded to Facebook shows Shaylee posing alongside the Jaylen Fryberg.

The popular schoolboy who was a member of the football and wrestling team shot five people with his father's gun, before turning the gun on himself. 

A friend on Twitter said Jaylen was 'heartbroken' over a girl and didn't know what to do. She added that he 'wasn't a bad kid'.

He had also written messages on his own Twitter page suggesting he may have been facing some troubles, such as: 'It breaks me... It actually does.'