A Seattle Police officer shot a man Wednesday afternoon in Columbia City after he fired a gun and assaulted a woman during a domestic violence incident and then fled with their one-year-old daughter.
Just before 2:15 PM, police received a report about a man and a woman arguing at the Rainier Playfield near 37th Avenue South and South Oregon Street. The man reportedly fired a gun, and then took their infant daughter before fleeing on foot.
Officers, K9 Units, and the King County Guardian One helicopter all set out across the neighborhood to find the armed suspect. At approximately 2:50 pm, there were reports of a man attempting to break into a building under construction a few blocks from the park. Officers located the man, still carrying the infant, near 38th Avenue and South Dakota Street where they confronted him. During the confrontation, officers fired at the man, striking him.
Officers began CPR on the man and called for medics, who transported him to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The infant and officers were not injured in the incident.
Detectives learned from the woman that the suspect had assaulted her earlier in the day at a residence in Des Moines and later at a hotel. The victim sustained substantial injuries during the assaults. Following the assaults the couple and the infant drove together in a car until they stopped at the park in South Seattle where the assault resumed.
In accordance with Initiative 940, the Force Investigation Team (FIT) will conduct an investigation into the use of force during the incident. The Office of Professional Accountability, the Inspector General, and Detectives from King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes also responded to investigate the incident. Seattle Police Department domestic violence detectives will continue a separate criminal investigation of the suspect. Police are still interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence in the case.
This remains an active and on-going investigation. Information presented here is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation proceeds.