Gunman killed 5 in Seattle before shooting himself, police say
The man believed to have shot five people in a Seattle cafe, killing four people and critically wounding one, and later killing a woman in downtown Seattle, has died, a hospital spokesman said.
The man believed to have shot five people in a Seattle cafe, killing four people and critically wounding one, and later killing a woman in downtown Seattle, has died, a hospital spokesman said.
Authorities say a man fitting the description of the suspect dozens of officers were seeking was located Wednesday afternoon in the southwest portion of the city. Police say the man shot himself as officers approached.
Gunfire erupted late Wednesday morning at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington.
Q13 FOX News Online reported that Seattle police said that two men died at the scene and three other people were wounded and taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Police also had to respond to another fatal shooting near the city's downtown. They say a man killed a woman in an apparent carjacking and fled in a black SUV.
Authorities didn't immediately know whether the shootings were related, but the Seattle police now say the shooting at Cafe Racer and a second location in downtown Seattle are connected.
"At this time, we feel pretty confident that we have the suspect," said Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz.
The gunman was described as a white male between 30- and 40-years old with curly brown hair and full beard, Q13 FOX News Online reported. The suspect was seen wearing brown plaid long-sleeved shirt and dark pants.
Evan Hill, who lives above the building where the cafe shooting happened, said the cafe was an artists' collective and performance space.
"It's the strangest place to think of a shooting," said Hill, who heard four to five shots. He said he ran to his balcony and called 911, but didn't see a suspect.
During the manhunt, Roosevelt High School, Eckstein Middle School and Greenlake Elementary were locked down, according to the school district.
In the second shooting, the SUV that the gunman used to flee was found abandoned later. The suspect shot himself not far from where the SUV was found, authorities said.
The latest spasm of deadly gun violence to hit the city in recent weeks has worried Seattle's leaders and prompted police to consider increasing patrols in high-crime areas.
In the last month, there have been two random killings in the city.
Last week, a man died when a stray bullet struck him as he and his family drove down a Seattle street. In late April, a woman died of injuries suffered in an apparently random drive-by shooting near downtown.
No arrests have been made in either of those fatalities.
On Saturday, a bystander was wounded near the iconic Space Needle when he was struck by a bullet allegedly fired by a gang member involved in a dispute with another man, authorities said.
In addition to the plan to increase the number of officers on patrol in high-crime areas, police are also urging people with information about shootings to come forward.
Some city leaders were skeptical those approaches would work.
"We have seen many community vigils, community mobilizations. We've heard about these strategies before," said Councilman Tom Rasmussen. "What's going to change?"
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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