Tragedy at Rigney Hill: Teenager Re-Arrested for Fatal Shooting
After previously being exonerated on grounds of self-defense, a 19-year-old Tacoma youth faces a new grand jury indictment for a deadly farm dispute.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Fred Abel, a 19-year-old boy, who shot and killed Robert Serempus on the latter's farm near Rigney Hill last October, but who was afterwards exonerated on the grounds of self-defense, was indicted yesterday afternoon by the grand jury and was immediately arrested. He is now locked in a cell of the county jail awaiting trial before a superior court judge. The shooting occurred on October 18, when young Abel and Roy Conly, his chum, were hunting near Rigney Hill. The boys trespassed on Serempus' property, and the rancher took offense. Serempus advanced threateningly towards the lads, knocked Abel to the ground and seized the lad's shotgun. Abel took the rifle which his companion carried, aimed it point-blank at the rancher and fired. Death was instantaneous.
“Abel took the rifle which his companion carried, aimed it point-blank at the rancher and fired. Death was instantaneous.”
Conflicts over land use and property boundaries on the outskirts of Tacoma have long been flashpoints for violence. This case illustrates the historical tension between rural landowners and encroaching urban youth, a theme that echoes in contemporary debates over trespassing and 'stand your ground' legal standards.
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