Seattle police say a gunman suspected of killing three people at a café and one in an apparent carjacking may have shot himself Wednesday as officers closed in on him.
As NPR’s Martin Kaste is reporting for our Newscast unit:
“It’s not confirmed that the man who shot himself in west Seattle is, in fact, the suspect, but right now that’s certainly how things are looking, in terms of what the Seattle Police Department is saying.”
The Associated Press is reporting that the man was in critical condition at a local hospital.
The Seattle Times reported that the first shooting happened around 11 a.m. at Cafe Racer Espresso, in the city’s University District. The gunman was described as a man in his 30s who was wearing dark clothes.
“Two men were confirmed dead at the scene. Two other men and a woman were taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The woman later died, according to a hospital spokeswoman,” the newspaper reported.
The spokeswoman said one of the remaining victims was in surgery in critical condition; the other was in critical condition in the intensive-care unit.
Police released two photos from inside the café. One shows a man walking into the café. The other shows stools overturned, as the man stands and holds what looks like a handgun.
The Associated Press is reporting:
“Police searching for the suspect also had to respond to another fatal shooting near the city’s downtown. They say a man killed a woman in an apparent carjacking and fled in a black SUV. Authorities said late Wednesday they believe one man was responsible for both attacks.”
Seattle’s deputy police chief, Nick Metz, told reporters he didn’t know of a motive for the shootings.
“At this time, we feel pretty confident that we have the suspect in both cases,” he said.
The AP says the killings are the latest in a spate of gun-related violence to hit Seattle. It says:
“The latest spasm of deadly gun violence to hit the city worried Seattle’s leaders and prompted police to consider increasing patrols in high-crime areas. The three deaths bring the number of homicides so far this year to 19, compared with 21 in all of last year.”
Article source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/05/30/154028383/suspect-in-four-seattle-killings-may-have-shot-himself-police-say?ft=1&f=1001