By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Nearly two years after the devastating daytime shooting that claimed the life of 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine outside Garfield High School, his family and the Greater Seattle community are turning their grief into a call for healing, youth engagement, and generational unity.
In partnership with student leaders, faculty, and local advocacy organizations, the Amarr’s Heart Foundation will host a series of memorial and community events at Garfield High School in conjunction with National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the anniversary of Amarr’s death.
Amarr, a beloved Garfield student and star varsity football player remembered by loved ones as a natural peacekeeper, was shot multiple times while trying to break up an altercation in the school parking lot during lunchtime on June 6, 2024.
The commemorative week begins June 2 with an official Amarr Murphy-Paine Day proclamation at Seattle City Hall, followed by the “Chalk and Talk” memorial event outside Garfield High School on June 4.
The initiative builds upon a tradition started by students and faculty following the tragedy, when the school community decorated Garfield’s front steps in Amarr’s memory. This year, the broader community is invited to participate through art activities, food trucks, and entertainment.
On June 5, Garfield will also host an opt-in Gun Violence Awareness Summit connecting students with organizations offering mental health services, mentorship opportunities, and civic engagement resources.
The summit is being co-hosted by the Amarr’s Heart Foundation, which focuses on providing a platform and support network for grieving fathers, and Just Us Loved Ones, a nonprofit focused on providing therapeutic support for siblings of homicide victims.
The collaboration carries deeply personal meaning for Just Us Loved Ones founder Lonisha Landry, whose 16-year-old son, a friend of Amarr’s, was killed one month after Amarr’s death.
“When I first heard of the passing of his son, I just felt real bad, but I didn’t know the grief that really came with it because it wasn’t me at the time,” Landry shared in a recent interview with The Seattle Medium. “But now that it’s me, and it’s been me, I know the grief that comes with it. It motivates me to want to do more, say more to prevent the gun violence that is taking place.”
The shared loss has brought the families together around a broader mission of healing.
“We are trying to show a family dynamic that is not often represented in our community,” said Arron Murphy-Paine, Amarr’s father and founder of the Amarr’s Heart Foundation. “It’s not just a mother or just a father who loses a child. Two parents lost a child. We want to demonstrate that we can work together to heal.”
For Landry and Murphy-Paine, the summit is also intended to support students who continue processing trauma after acts of violence, including those often left navigating grief and uncertainty on their own.
“Us partnering up with the youth in the community, it just brings awareness to how we need them and they need us,” says Landry. “Their emotions and everything is valid, because the world is very real, but they just have to find different outlets outside of violence. We really want our young children and teenagers to feel heard, and this gives them their voice.”
Paine echoed the sentiment.
“If we can make their voices loud through community engagement, that voice can become louder than the negative voices influencing that building.”
To date, the Seattle Police Department investigation remains open and no arrests have been made. The lack of resolution has fueled ongoing community frustration and prompted a wrongful death lawsuit against Seattle Public Schools over alleged security failures, while reigniting debate surrounding school safety and School Resource Officers.
Despite public narratives surrounding the tragedy, Murphy-Paine has continued advocating to preserve his son’s legacy.
“He was a kid that came out of that school,” said Murphy-Paine. “That could have happened to anybody.”
As the community prepares for the week of remembrance, Landry urged residents to become involved before another family experiences similar loss.
“I just want the community to know that it’s important to step up,” Landry said. “Because you don’t want to wait until it’s your child.”
Schedule of Events
• June 2, 2:00 p.m.: Amarr Murphy-Paine Day Proclamation, Seattle City Hall
Public comment and refreshments to follow.
• June 4, After School: Chalk and Talk Memorial, Garfield High School front steps
Featuring community art, food trucks, and entertainment.
• June 5, School Hours: Gun Violence Awareness Summit, Garfield High School
Student opt-in resource and mentorship fair.
Editor’s Note: Anyone with information regarding the June 6, 2024 shooting is urged to contact the Seattle Police Department’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
