On February 17th, just after 1:00 am, Metro Transit reported having a passenger on a Metro bus at Rainier Avenue South and South Andover Street, who appeared to be injured, possibly shot. Within a minute of that call, another call came into 911 from a homeowner, stating that he had just shot an intruder at his residence in the 5200 Block of Rainier Avenue South. Multiple South Precinct officers responded to the two locations.
Officers arrived at Rainier Avenue South and South Andover and located a 37 year old male with shotgun pellet wounds to his left arm. Seattle Fire Department was summoned to treat the man’s non life-threatening injuries.
Officers arriving at the residence scene contacted the victim homeowner who told officers the following account:
Although the building appears to be a commercial business, it is, in fact, the victim’s residence. It has been converted into a private residence with the living quarters in the rear of the building. The victim stated that sometime after midnight he woke up to some banging sounds and soon realized that someone may be attempting to break in. The victim grabbed a shotgun he kept in the bedroom and walked out into the main part of the residence. The victim told officers that he saw the front door was standing open and an unknown person was standing in the entry. The victim stated that he confronted the suspect and ordered him to lie down on the floor. According to the victim, the suspect did not comply, and the victim fired his shotgun once. The suspect dropped what he was holding and ran out the front door. The victim stated that he then called 911.
Inside the entry of the residence officers located a black bag with various tools inside that the suspect had dropped. It also appeared that the suspect had first attempted to break into the residence through the back door, and then went around to the front door when that wasn’t successful.
Detectives interviewed the suspect while he was at Harborview Medical Center receiving treatment. Once he is released from the hospital, the 37 year old suspect will be booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary.
The 66 year old victim was interviewed by officers at the scene. The shotgun was recovered at the scene and placed into evidence pending further investigation. The victim was not injured. Detectives will continue to handle the follow up investigation.