On January 1st at approximately 1:55 A.M. officers responded to 911 calls of shots being fired by a group of males in an alley west of the 5200 block of 17th Avenue Northeast. The suspects were reported to be armed with rifles and/or shotguns and wearing military clothing. Uniformed officers arrived on scene and were contacted by witnesses who told them that they saw several males outside, one or more dressed in a military uniform, firing rounds into the air. The witnesses said that the suspects might have gone into a basement apartment. Officers approached the location in question and guarded the door.
The suspect emerged from a basement door with a military rifle in his hands, bayonet affixed, and pointed the rifle in the direction of the officers. The officers identified themselves as “Seattle Police!” and ordered the suspect to drop the rifle multiple times. The suspect failed to comply. The suspect pointed the rifle at the officers at which time the officers shot him. Medics were immediately summoned. The suspect was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he later died. There were no officers or civilians injured during the incident. The officers involved are assigned to patrol operations. Both officers are veterans of SPD, one with 10 years on the Department and the other with seven years. Homicide Detectives continue to actively investigate the incident.
