One dead in Seattle shooting
SEATTLE: One person was killed and seven others were wounded in a shooting in downtown Seattle on Wednesday, just as the streets were teeming with people during the evening rush hour, officials said.
Investigators were still searching for more than one suspect, Carmen Best, Seattle’s police chief, said. She said that the attack stemmed from a dispute in front of a McDonald’s and that it was not a random shooting.
The police were reviewing security camera footage and other forensic evidence to try to get answers, said the chief, who described the sequence of events as “murky.”
It was not immediately clear how many people opened fire. “I don’t see any future danger to the public,” Ms Best said.
The most serious injuries were suffered by a 55-year-old woman, who was listed in critical condition, and a 9-yearold boy, who was listed in serious condition, the authorities said.
The episode happened at Pine Street and Third Avenue, just blocks from the city’s popular Pike Place Market and along a light rail line.
Eyewitness videos showed people running from the area as law enforcement officers swarmed the downtown streets and businesses to treat the wounded and search for the suspects.
Susan Gregg, a spokeswoman for Harborview Medical Centre, said seven patients had arrived at the hospital for treatment in the aftermath of the shooting.
In addition to the two victims with critical or serious injuries, four men with ages ranging from 21 to 35 were in satisfactory condition, officials said. A 49-year-old man was treated at the hospital and released, officials said.
Douglas Converse, 60, said he was just about to enter a light rail station when he began hearing a series of gunshots — he estimated about a dozen total — and saw at least two people fall to the ground.
He went into the light rail station to seek help from law enforcement officers.
Mr Converse noted two previous shootings that occurred in the city within the past day and said he hoped police could get a handle on the violence. All three episodes happened within a several-block radius downtown.
A 55-year-old man was killed Tuesday, and on Wednesday afternoon, a suspect was injured during a policeinvolved shooting.
An employee at an eatery close to the crime scene said some co-workers saw people running and people were on edge because of the recent violence.