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Intoxicated Man Fails To Realize He Was Shot

A man involved in a large fight disturbance outside a tavern was so intoxicated he didn’t even realize he had been struck by gunfire.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. officers responded to 911 calls of a large disturbance and one shot fired in front of R Place Tavern in the 1500 block of Boylston Avenue.  Officers arrived on scene, restored order and arrested two suspects, one for reckless discharge of a firearm and the other for misdemeanor assault.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a brawl started as a fist fight between four people.  Suspect #1, who displayed obvious signs of intoxication, was standing next to two of his friends who were involved in a fight.  When suspect #1’s friends began losing the fight he pulled out a gun and shot at the person that he thought was beating up his friends.  Witnesses told officers they thought the suspect fired the gun into the air.  Suspect #1 was located and placed under arrest.  At that time officers were unable to locate any victim of the gunfire.  Investigation later determined that the gunshot that was fired by suspect #1 had in fact hit suspect #2.

In a separate fight disturbance at the scene suspect #2, who also displayed obvious signs of intoxication, was arrested for misdemeanor assault.  At the time of arrest suspect #2 didn’t complain about any injury or pain.  Suspect #2 did sustain an injury to his nose from the fighting he was involved in however, he declined medical attention.

After suspect #2 was transported to the East Precinct he complained about some pain in his back.  Upon closer examination officers discovered that he had a gunshot wound.  Officers called fire department medics to the precinct.  The medics treated suspect #2 and then transported him to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Suspect #1 was booked into the King County Jail for felony assault.

This remains an active and on-going investigation.