OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM ARON CHRISTENSEN’S FAMILY:
Aron and Buzzo were both shot. Their wounds were bullet wounds. The family was told Aron was shot one time and there is conflicting information on how many times his four-month-old puppy Buzzo was shot.
The Lewis County sheriff’s office and the county coroner initially reported that Aron had died of a heart attack and there was no foul-play involved. A week after Aron’s body was found, the county coroner reported to the family that Aron and his dog had both been shot. The Sheriff’s office told Aron’s family that the shooter is a 19-year-old male from the area, who initially admitted to shooting Aron and his puppy. They have not named the 19-year-old man.
The sheriff’s office reported to the family that a 16-year-old female was also present during the shooting. As far as the family knows, these two individuals were only questioned once, the day after Aron’s body was found, and the man admitted to shooting Aron and his puppy. No arrests have been made.
The sheriff’s office told the family on three separate occasions to not “go to the media” and even chastised the family when a small article about the investigation was published in September indicating his death was under investigation. The family had not gone to the media on the instruction of the Sheriff’s office as they were told to wait for cause of death reports to be completed. Those reports have still not been completed and it’s been over 60 days since Aron’s death.
The sheriff’s office will not provide the family with any information about why there have not been any arrests made or charges filed.
The sheriff’s office will not provide the name of the shooter or that of the accomplice. The sheriff’s office on multiple occasions has referred to this as a “sensitive case” and described the shooter and accomplice as “good kids.” The county coroner went so far as to say, “we don’t want to convict these kids if they didn’t do anything wrong.”
The sheriff’s office and the witness who found Aron and Buzzo described the scene as quiet, implying there was not any appearance of any type of scuffle or argument.
Buzzo, Aron’s new puppy, was found lying dead approximately five feet from Aron’s body.
Here is a picture of Aron and his puppy, Buzzo, taken a few weeks before they were killed.
The family is heartbroken and simply wants answers about not only what happened, but accountability for the person responsible for shooting and killing their son, brother, uncle, and friend. They also hope that the systems that have delayed the answers they are looking for are held accountable.
