Police shooting injures one during Bothell traffic stop

Published 8:28 am Tuesday, May 19, 2026

EVERETT — A police officer fired their weapon at a passenger who was pointing a gun at them during a traffic stop in Bothell overnight, officials say.

After 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, officers saw a vehicle make an illegal U-turn on the Bothell-Everett Highway near the Thrashers Corner neighborhood, according to a press release from the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART).

SMART is a team of investigators, evidence technicians, records specialists, and public information officers from various law enforcement agencies who are tasked with investigating police use of force incidents.

Police attempted to make contact after the vehicle pulled into a convenience store parking lot, the release said.

According to officers, the driver exited the vehicle and left the area on foot. Another person then moved into the driver’s seat and as Bothell police approached, a passenger in the vehicle pointed a gun at the officer, the release said.

The officer shot multiple rounds at the vehicle, according to SMART.

The suspects then reversed the vehicle, ramming it into the officer’s patrol car, before leaving the scene, the release said.

About an hour later, a 19-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds was dropped off by the suspected vehicle at a Burien hospital, according to the release. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is in stable condition, SMART said in its release.

The vehicle connected to the shooting was found abandoned in Burien and is now considered evidence in the shooting, according to investigators.

The original driver and additional passengers in the vehicle have not been found, a release said.

SMART is continuing to investigate.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com