This is scary stuff, especially when the motive (at least at this point) isn't clear. We were just in this neighborhood last night, visiting some friends and watching a movie over at their place.
News stories:
Seattle Times
KOMO
KIRO
I plan to go by the scene and see if I can learn anything more, and maybe take & post some pictures.
Update @ 4:30PM : we went by the scene around 12:00 PM today. Here's what I saw:
- The police had taped off the street starting at 21st and Republican. The house in question was in the middle of the block on Republican between 21st and 22nd.
- Video cameras and photographers from what appeared to be news agencies were lined up at the traffic circle of 21st & Republican, just behind the tape.
- Police were apparently going door to door in about a one-square-block area around the scene, talking to neighbors and gathering up information.
- At the time we arrived, the medical examiner was packing up and getting ready to leave.
- Several men and women in white coverall suits were entering and exiting the house. My guess is these were crime scene investigators, and the suits were to both protect them and to avoid contaminating the scene as they look for clues.
- There were almost a dozen police cars on the scene, not counting the police bus, medical examiner, or unmarked detective cars.
- There were about 20-30 people behind the tape. Some were talking to the residents of a house in the middle of the 20th/21st section of Republican. Others were talking to residents in the house just across the street from the scene?
So what happened here? Piecing together information from the above sources and The Stranger blog:
- A group of friends went to the Capitol Hill Arts Center's Better Off Undead party last night, where electronic music, dancing, and dressing up as zombies were the main theme.
- This group returned to their house to have an after-party. You can see the house here - it's just northeast of the "1" on the map - just east of the large white house with the brown roof.
- At about 7:00 AM, the alleged gunman exited the house and returned soon after with weapons and began shooting.
- Some managed to hide in the bathroom and avoid the gunman. Others ran out and took shelter in bushes or in a neighbor's house.
- When a police officer arrived at the scene, the gunman exited the house. The police officer ordered the gunman to drop his weapon. The gunman then committed suicide.
This doesn't appear to have been a random shooting, but at the same time the motive of the gunman is not clear, nor how well he knew the victims, and how premeditated this act was.
The people in the neighborhood we saw were cooperative, calm, but also visibly surprised. This kind of thing simply doesn't happen that often in this town.
Update @ 3/26 11 AM: KIRO is reporting that an arrest has been made in connection with yesterday's shooting. A search warrant was issued for a North Seattle apartment, and police handcuffed and took away one of the twin brothers that lived at the apartment. It's unclear what the connection is yet.
Update @ 3/27 9:00 PM: The Stranger is doing a great job keeping up on this story, both through an article on their site and on their blog. I'm going to defer to their reporting and stop posting any more updates here.
If folks feel like they want to do something in response to this tragedy, I'd suggest two things:
- The surviving housemates have set up a paypal account for the families of all the victims. You can donate to the e-mail address 2112relief@gmail.com.
- Call or write the city council and county council expressing your views on the matter, whatever they may be, if you feel there's a policy decision that needs to be made here. I think there are some changes that need to be made, but I don't want to turn this event into a grandstand for my opinions.
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