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1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting on Seattle light-rail platform

Published 1:30 am Saturday, September 14, 2019

By Mike Carter The Seattle Times

1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting on Seattle light-rail platform
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1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting on Seattle light-rail platform
A Sound Transit train arrives at Westlake Station in downtown Seattle. (Sue Misao / Herald file)
1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting on Seattle light-rail platform
In this Friday night ecurity camera video released by the Seattle Police Department, a suspect runs upstairs after a shooting at Westlake Station for Link light rail in Seattle. The video posted to the department’s Twitter feed shows the man trying to conceal the gun near his waist as he runs up the stairs toward an exit at the station. The escalator going up, seen at left, was out of order. (Seattle Police Department via AP)

By Mike Carter / The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — One person was killed and two were wounded in a triple shooting Friday night at the Westlake light-rail station, according to Seattle police.

The gunman was at large late Friday.

The victim died shortly after medics brought him to Harborview Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The two other victims, both male, also were brought to Harborview, one in critical condition, the other in stable condition.

The shooting occurred on the northbound tunnel platform at about 9:20 p.m. A witness said he saw one person yell, pull a gun and start firing. The shooter, who was wearing a dark hoodie, fled, the witness said.

The person seen firing the gun was standing not far from the victims.

Seattle police spokesman Detective Mark Jamieson said the shooting may have followed a dispute on the street, perhaps near Third Avenue and Pine Street, that moved into the tunnel and to the light-rail station.

Investigators don’t believe the shooting was random, Jamieson said, adding there apparently was some sort of relationship between the gunman and all three victims. He said it was not clear if the victims all had a relationship to each other.

Authorities were reviewing video from surveillance cameras at the transit station and elsewhere.

Westlake Station remained closed into the night, as police investigated, as did traffic in the area along Third Avenue. Sound Transit was advising passengers needing to go north beyond University Street Station to take specially provided buses to Capitol Hill Station. They could then catch a train to UW Station.

About 80,000 people ride Link light rail each weekday. Westlake, in the heart of downtown, is the system’s busiest station, with more than 12,000 boardings each weekday.

Staff reporter Heidi Groover contributed to this report.

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