SEATTLE — King County prosecutors this afternoon charged a Snohomish man with second-degree assault in connection with a shooting that wounded three people at the Folklife Festival in Seattle over the weekend.
Clinton Grainger, 22, and another man were in a scuffle when the handgun Grainger had been carrying in an ankle holster allegedly discharged, prosecutors wrote. The man suffered powder burns to his face from the gun firing close to him. The bullet hit another man in the hand and lodged in a woman’s leg, court records said. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
The scuffle may have started over the way Grainger looked at a man who was sitting near a drum circle, according to prosecutors.
The man who was shot told police Grainger walked by and gave him a confrontational look. The man said he thought he recognized Grainger and asked his name. Instead of answering, Grainger refused, allegedly pushed the man in the chest and reached for his ankle, court documents said.
The man told police he tackled Grainger to the ground and then heard a shot fired and a burning pain in his face.
After his arrest Grainger allegedly told police he and the man got into a fight because the other man wanted to prove he was tougher. The gun became exposed during the fight and the two men fought over the handgun, Grainger said. He didn’t know if he pulled the trigger or if the other man shot the gun, he allegedly told police.
Grainger later claimed that he takes medication for schizophrenia and anxiety. He also told authorities he takes methadone for a drug addiction.
Snohomish County sheriff’s officials gave Grainger a concealed weapons permit in January 2007. Officials said there was no indication that Grainger had serious mental health problems that would disqualify him from carrying a concealed handgun.
Grainger is being held in King County Jail on $350,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 12.
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