Two people are recovering after a shooting at a Mount Vernon recovery center sent them to the hospital.
Just before 9 a.m., Mount Vernon police were dispatched to a report of gunshots at New Earth Recovery, a Christian nonprofit that runs a home recovery program in Skagit Valley, Washington.
According to their website, New Earth Recovery “loves, empowers, and guides people through recovery from substance use disorder through a faith-based healing community.”
When officers arrived, they found two victims inside the home with gunshot wounds, a 50-year-old man and a 53-year-old man. Both were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. A third man reported that the suspect who shot the two victims also pointed the gun at him.
Mount Vernon police took a suspect into custody outside the residence without incident and collected a handgun as evidence. According to police, the suspect, a 49-year-old man, was known to all the victims. He will be booked into the Skagit County Jail on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault.
New Earth Recovery shared a statement on their social media, saying: “I wanted to let our friends and supporters know that a serious incident occurred this morning at one of our homes. Two of our residents were hospitalized after a shooting and are in stable condition at a local hospital. The suspect is in custody and the situation is stable. Please pray for everyone involved as we process the incident with those who were nearby. And pray that the good work of restoration continues to flourish in our valley.”
On Monday evening, they added an update: “Thank you all for your support and love. Tonight our two residents had surgery and are being well cared for in the hospital. I am so grateful for our New Earth Recovery staff and residents and the way they care for each other.”
