SPOKANE, Wash. — Editor's note: To ensure the anonymity of the victims, they will be identified with their initials.
Students, parents, counselors, teachers and other members of the Freeman community are once again sharing the impact that the Freeman High School shooting has had on their lives.
Thursday brings the third day of victim impact statements. About 150 people are expected to share their statements with the court over the next few weeks. The statements are being shared in-person, via zoom, or through written statements.
The victim impact statements give the people affected by the shooting a chance to share their stories ahead of sentencing, which is expected in a few weeks.
Caleb Sharpe, the shooter, has been present in court as victim advocates read statements from those impacted by the shooting that took place four years ago. Many of the statements said his actions altered the fabric of their lives. On the first two days of testimony, the shooter stared down at the table as those statements were being read.
On Tuesday, some of the people most connected to the tragedy got the chance to express how the shooting has forever impacted their lives.
M.R. was in the hallway at Freeman High School when the shooting happened. She called the shooter's actions "pathetic" and said he will never get to experience the joys of life that most people take for granted.
"No matter how bad my day goes, I get to go home and sleep in my own bed at the end of the day," she said. "I get to go to college and look forward to all of the joys of my future. I get to hug my family and friends. You do not get to experience these things."
As many people have done over the last two days, M.R. asked the judge to give the shooter the maximum sentence. Her father J.R., a teacher at Freeman Middle School, also made the same request.
"Mr. Sharpe has shown no remorse for the evil, cowardly acts that he committed on the innocent students, families, and the Freeman community," J.R. said. "I know that he shows no remorse because he and his family drug this out for four and a half years."
While separated from his young daughter, J.R. was forced to protect his own class of sixth-graders from the shooter.
"No 15-year-old should find out how fast they can run because one of their cowardly classmates is shooting at them," he said.