At 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17, Stephanie Abken and her 15-year-old daughter were focused on the nature walk they were about take and the cold drinks they were about to purchase at a gas station. Youth football players were practicing at the Lakota Middle School playfield nearby.

The peaceful evening was shattered by shots fired from a car, hitting Stephanie in the upper thigh and causing an immediate threat to her life. Her daughter was not physically injured, but witnessed her mother’s injury at close range.

The owner of the Arco gas station nearby had a clear view across the street, called 911 and left his store to check on her as she waited for aid. Other community members stayed with Stephanie and her daughter until aid arrived.

“I was outside at one of the gas pumps when I heard it,” Jesse Amon, owner of the Arco gas station nearby, told The Mirror. “I thought it was a flat tire, but then I saw her drop.” About six separate 911 calls came in from community members who heard the shots.

According to Amon, five or six other people also stayed with Stephanie and her daughter as they waited for aid and others looked on from across the street. He said he was worried that she wouldn’t make it because of the amount of blood.

Amon was glad to hear that she survived the shooting and said she is a regular customer.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror Coach Mike Franco runs a drill with 8U division Hawks players. He shared his experience with The Mirror of the evening of Aug. 17.

The local Hawks football team practice was wrapping up across the street when the shooting occurred. The Hawks have six football teams of various age divisions as well as a cheer team. Many parents attend practices and some were watching a scrimmage while others were walking the track when they heard the shots.

One coach remembers an athlete asking his dad if the shots were fireworks, then the father telling him: “Son, you know those aren’t fireworks.”

Coach Mike Franco of the 8U group told The Mirror that after he heard the shots, he saw some parents “hit the deck” and others “picked up their kids and got them out of there.”

Registration Director Ati Lutu Ili said “it takes a village,” and described how everyone worked together to direct traffic and secure the area around the football field. She said that people think of Federal Way as a place with a lot of crime, but that the city she knows is one where people take care of each other. She also shared that “this is why we do what we do,” referring to the youth sports program that brings community together. She was at the field that night, but didn’t witness or hear the shooting.

Several mothers of Hawks athletes said they picked up their kids and tried to get them away from the incident as fast as possible without causing panic. Two of the moms described the impact of the event on their kids, like one child who became immediately terrified when hearing a car backfire a few days ago and had to be reassured the sound was not a gunshot.

Other parents described how everyone leaped into action to make sure everyone was OK and got home safe, some standing guard in the parking lot and looking out for possible danger to warn others if the shooter came near.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror Hawks players at a recent practice, a block from where the Aug. 17 drive-by shooting occurred.

Stephanie told The Mirror that this type of quick action and community strength is what saved her life.

“I was hit in one of my main arteries and I wouldn’t still be alive today if it wasn’t for that officer or for that team and all the coaches helping calling it in,” Stephanie said in a phone interview from the hospital.

She especially wants to thank the officers who assisted her — and the mayor for encouraging the Federal Way community to watch out for each other. The Federal Way Police Department confirmed that Officers Joseph Rodriguez and Joshua Power were two of the multiple individuals whom she found out later had helped save her life.

After a tourniquet was applied, Stephanie was transported to Harborview Medical Center, and one of the police officers on the scene followed the ambulance with her daughter in the car.

Stephanie has two other children in addition to her 15-year-old daughter. Her mother, Pam Abken, told the Mirror that the five of them share an apartment and the two adults share the responsibility of paying rent. With Stephanie unable to work, Pam said she is not sure exactly what is going to happen.

Stephanie and her family just want to encourage the Federal Way community to say something if they see something.

“Even if you just hear the gunfire, but don’t know exactly where it’s coming from. Just call it in or say something to 9-1-1,” Stephanie said. She said the shooter was “trying to take away my life, and I support my, myself, and my three kids. But because of the actions of the others of the community, I don’t have to worry about who’s gonna be taking care of my kids.”

According to the Federal Way Police Department, Shane Crowe was identified by Stephanie as the shooter at the scene and was arrested several days after the incident. Charges include domestic violence in the first degree. Stephanie referred to him as a “neighbor and someone I thought was my friend” while charging documents include a statement from the shooter’s mother stating that he and Stephanie were dating.

Crowe was apprehended due to a tip from a neighbor, according to Stephanie’s mother. He is still in custody as of Sept. 5 and court documents list a $500,000 bail. He has been arraigned and has entered a plea of not guilty. His omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 21 and a trial date is currently scheduled for Oct. 23.

Since the incident, Stephanie said she has received four blood transfusions and is learning how to walk again. The bullets caused damage through her thigh and up toward her pelvis and abdomen. It will be a long road of recovery.

“I’m just grateful to have my life,” she said.