Updated 11:38 p.m. An employee of the Wedgwood QFC was shot and seriously injured Monday night by police who had come to the store to arrest him in connection with a domestic violence incident one night earlier.
At about 8:20 p.m., officers confronted the man and a fight ensued, said Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson. After the man reached into his waistband to attempt to draw a gun, one of the officers shot him once, Jamieson said.
The man, in his 30s, was believed to still be alive late Monday but Jamieson said he had no pulse when medics arrived shortly after the shooting. Medics quickly began CPR and the man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Fire Department officials said the man has suffered a gunshot wound to the back.
“He was on the floor, his head was down … he didn’t look like he was in good shape,” said Harker Hearne, who was in the store shopping when the shooting occurred. Hearne said he did not hear anything and wasn’t aware that a shooting had occurred until backup police frantically arrived.
No other injuries were reported. While Jamieson could only confirm that one shot had been fired, a young woman — the sister of a QFC employee — said her brother told her that one shot was fired into a wall near the Northeast corner of the store by the meat department and bathroom.
“My brother was in a back room, stocking things, and said a bullet whizzed past his head about 5 feet away,” said Sasha Shay, a Wedgwood resident.
Her brother finally emerged from the store at 11:10 p.m., gave his sister a long embrace and then left with another employee. Both he and the other employee declined comment, saying police had instructed them to not talk to the media. Earlier, three other employees had left also saying they weren’t allowed to talk.
It turns out that police had been to the store on Sunday night looking for the man but he was not there, said Jamieson. Police returned, Jamieson said, because a QFC employee called tonight to let them know that the man had come to work.
Jamieson said the domestic violence incident, which occurred in North Seattle, was a felony case and police had probable cause to arrest the man. He had no other information about the man or the domestic violence incident.
Jamieson said police likely would have a briefing downtown Tuesday morning to provide more details about the shooting, including background on the officer.
(Thanks Silver for the tip!)
Update: Man shot by police has died
