SEATTLE — Officers were dispatched to a physical fight at 2nd North and Mercer following an event at the Seattle Center just before 2:00 am Sunday morning. As officers were responding a large crowd was forming near Warren Avenue North and Mercer Street. As officers were attempting to break up the crowd a male in the crowd was shot. The crowd’s hostility grew, would not disperse and repeatedly sought to interfere with life saving measures being attempted on the victim which included CPR.
Once the crowd was pushed back from the immediate vicinity of the victim people in the crowd began breaking windows and surrounding the officers. Additional officers from other precincts throughout the city responded to the scene. Despite the arrival of more officers, the crowd continued to grow. Eventually the scene was secured for Seattle Fire medics and they were able to reach the scene and begin lifesaving measures for the victim. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Officers saw a man walking away from several blocks from the crime scene. The occupants of a vehicle driving by began frantically yelling at the officers that he was the suspect. Officers detained the individual. A witness positively identified the person detained as the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody. The suspect’s car, with the gun visible inside, was impounded from the scene pending search warrant. The adult male suspect was later booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault.
