A 32-year-old man was seriously wounded by gunfire at a demonstration on the University of Washington’s campus Friday evening.
The shooting followed a day of largely peaceful marches and rallies in the city, which were unfortunately book-ended by acts of vandalism and violence.
Around 9:30 AM, an unidentified person threw a rock through the windshield of a Bellevue Police Department officer’s vehicle—which was assisting Seattle police in the Capitol Hill area.
SPD officers later seized wooden dowels, homemade shields, flares, hammers, and other items from masked individuals in the crowd during the evening rally at Westlake Park.
The Westlake group later marched to the University of Washington campus, where they joined with a second separate demonstration group outside the University of Washington’s Kane Hall.
Police had blocked the entrance to Kane Hall, which was holding a private event, due to scuffles and minor incidents of violence outside the venue. As the second group of marchers arrived on campus, tensions increased, and individuals in the crowd began throwing bricks and paint toward police and others in the crowd.
Police received a report that a man in the crowd had been shot and worked to enter the crowd and extricate him.
Officer removed the 32-year-old man from the crowd and found he had sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
The person of interest in the shooting later turned himself in to University of Washington police. He is now being questioned about the incident.
The University of Washington Police Department is handling the shooting investigation, with support from Seattle Police Department detectives.
No other arrests were made during the day’s demonstrations.
Seattle police are working closely with our partner agencies from around the region will have a significant number of officers on hand to ensure the safety of attendees at a large march scheduled for Saturday.
We ask that anyone attending the Womxn’s march on Saturday remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to uniformed officers on the route or by calling 911.