MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Bleeding and writhing in agony, a Mountlake Terrace man stumbled outside his apartment Monday night screaming at the pain from the wounds on his head, neck and shoulder.
The man, 24, had just been shot and police believe his ex-girlfriend may be to blame.
On Tuesday, detectives said they wanted to talk to Samantha Amanda Morgan, a 19-year-old Lynnwood woman, about her connection to the shooting.
Police believe the victim’s ex-girlfriend showed up about 9 p.m. at the man’s upper-floor apartment in the 4200 block of 236th Street SW, Mountlake Terrace police Sgt. Doug Hansen said.
There was a man and a woman with the ex-girlfriend that the victim didn’t know, Hansen said. The three people forced their way into the apartment.
A fight followed, and the man pistol-whipped the victim with a large handgun, Hansen said.
The victim retreated to the kitchen and retrieved a weapon.
“He was able to arm himself and exchanged gunfire with the male suspect,” Hansen said.
Neighbors called 911 and helped the victim, who collapsed in a breezeway outside his apartment. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where has was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Detectives were hoping to interview the man Tuesday afternoon, Hansen said. He is expected to recover.
Because the victim and the suspect knew each other, police believe the public is not at risk.
Investigators from the Washington State Patrol crime lab were carefully processing the man’s apartment, he said. Several shell casings were found, and there were what appeared to be bullet holes in the walls.
Doctors weren’t sure if the man was struck by a single bullet or more, Hansen said. The man has head, neck and shoulder wounds.
After interviewing witnesses at the apartment, police said they suspect the victim’s ex-girlfriend was involved. The suspects were seen driving away in a white 1992 or 1993 Chevrolet Caprice sedan.
Morgan, whom police identified as the victim’s ex-girlfriend, is described as 5-foot-3, about 115 pounds with hazel eyes.
The victim and several witnesses speak Spanish, Hansen said. Language difficulties were slowing the investigation.
Noise complaints had brought the police to the man’s apartment in the past.
Statistics show that about 15 percent of domestic violence cases involve a woman attacking a man, said Kelly Starr, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
“There are situations where a female will kill or attempt to kill a male,” she said. “The numbers are much smaller than the other way around.”
Anyone who suspects domestic violence problems is encouraged to call the state’s domestic violence hotline at 800-562-6025 or dial 911.
Police seek information
Anyone with information about the Monday night shooting is asked to call 911.
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