SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Preston Grzogorek,15, and Owar Opiew,16, were both underclassmen in high school, both loved being with their families and both were shot and killed within two months of each other. They died in Spokane Valley, only 15 minutes away from each other.
Gang and gun violence in Spokane County are occurring more often than usual, according to local law enforcement. Just weeks after the Sheriff's Office and the Spokane Police Department held a join press conference on curbing the number of shootings, another teen was killed.
"I don't think that, first of all, individuals are ready to recognize what the problem is and how serious the problem is," Fulcrum Institute Executive Director Jack Hebner said. "But then I don't think that there is a concerted effort to figure out what to do about it."
The Fulcrum Institute specializes in violence and gang prevention.
"Guns are responsible for these deaths," he added, "Think about how you felt after the Sandy Hook shooting, the children being shot in Florida, then think about the mass shootings that we've seen in Colorado, Texas and we become numb to that."
He and numerous police jurisdictions across the county have seen shootings sky-rocket since the pandemic began.
"Compared to this same time last year, we've had almost four times as many shootings and drive-bys then we did last year," SPD Chief Craig Meidl said.
In a press conference in early March, before Grzogorek was killed, the Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Chief Meidl warned about an increase in violence by teenagers.
The Sheriff's Office said they stand by the statements made in March, as this problem only continues to get worse.
Deputies believe Grzogorek knew the suspect he was meeting and was involved in an ongoing conflict with several individuals. They add they have not identified Opiew as a gang member, but they say preliminary investigations lead them to believe the drive-by shooting may have gang-ties.
Society has become numb to shootings, Hebner said. He said he felt teenagers and kids do not understand the gravity of these events.
"I don't believe that people who will use guns to settle discussions, to settle disputes, recognize the fact that death is death," he added. "And that they, in fact, are taking someone's life."
"There are two things you always have to be concerned with," he said, in regards to teens being vulnerable to gangs. "The first one is whether or not the person has a very tight bond in a group, and if they don't, then they're going to look for that. They will look for any sort of group that will allow them to fit in. So that group may not be a group that is beneficial, but yet it's still a group in which they can belong. The second thing that I think is really important at this particular time, is we have been isolated for so long. The whole concept of wearing masks or the concept of not seeing people, the concept of not even being in school and being at work."
Virtual learning took away activities, sports and human interaction.
Local law enforcement agrees, urging the community to help stop the cycle of abuse and help create more mentorship opportunities.
"Once that happens, there ought to be a program where someone can help them," Hebner said. "So we can offer assistance, whether it's schools, whether it's outside programs, or giving them something to do."
Along with mentoring programs, Hebner said this issue needs to be taken seriously by everyone in society — starting at the home with parents, schools, local government and congress.
"We become numb to that and it's just another shooting," he added. "And then you have a Congress, who doesn't want to deal with the issue. And so it makes it okay. It just happens; it's a part of life."
The teenage boys' cases are still being investigated. Anyone with any information regarding either incident is urged to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233.