The suspect in a series of fatal shootings at a north Seattle cafe and First Hill parking lot shot himself after officers confronted him on a quiet street in West Seattle Wednesday afternoon.
The man’s violent rampage began around 11am this morning, when police received reports of gunfire from Cafe Racer on NE 59th Street and Roosevelt Way NE. When officers arrived, they found five gunshot victims inside. Two men died at the scene, and medics rushed two men and one woman to Harborview in critical condition. The female victim died at the hospital several hours later.
Following the cafe shooting, SWAT, robbery and homicide detectives, crime scene investigators and patrol officers spread out across the city looking for the suspect, following up on a number of tips and 911 calls about sightings of the gunman.
It appears that about 30 minutes after the shooting at the cafe, the suspect in the cafe shooting fled to First Hill, where he fatally shot a woman in a parking lot, and stole her SUV.
Just after 4pm, a plainclothes officer spotted the suspect near 36th Avenue and SW Morgan Street, and called for backup. As uniformed officers approached the suspect, he knelt down to the ground, and shot himself. Medics rushed the man to Harborview for treatment.
Based on evidence recovered during today’s investigations, SPD believes a lone suspect is responsible the murders in Roosevelt and First Hill. Still, neighbors should expect to see a heightened police presence as detectives work to confirm links between the two tragic incidents.
Update @ 9:33 pm: The suspect responsible for today’s shootings has been pronounced dead.
A fifth victim, a man shot at Cafe Racer this morning, is also not expected to survive.