2 teen boys arrested in fatal shooting of girl in a vehicle

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Tacoma police announced Thursday that two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the death of a girl who was shot while inside a vehicle.

The first teen suspect, who was not identified, is expected to be booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, police said. The suspect was taken into custody without incident shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, KOMO-TV reports.

A second 17-year-old suspect turned himself in with his attorney around 6:45 p.m. and was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, police said. It was not immediately clear if the suspects knew the girl, identified as Iyana Ussery, or what led to the gunfire.

The attack happened in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday as several young people were in a car in that area. Someone shot at the vehicle’s occupants, and the teen girl was struck, She was driven to a location on South Ainsworth Avenue and was pronounced dead.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a spike in shootings and fatalities and, this morning, a 14-year-old girl was tragically shot and killed,” Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said in a written statement. “In the face of these ongoing tragedies, I am beyond devastated. I am furious.”