A tragic incident unfolded at a Kent business yesterday, resulting in the death of a former employee who returned to the premises with a firearm after being fired. Kent Police Department responded to calls about a man making threats to employees at the 6600 block of South 216th Street, as confirmed by KING 5. The situation escalated, leading to a fire in the warehouse and gunshots, although it remains unclear who fired the shots.
According to reports, the 55-year-old man, a resident of Federal Way, was found inside the warehouse non-cooperative and later found deceased after fire crews from Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority managed to quickly control the situation. An unmanned aerial vehicle was used to assess the smoke-filled warehouse due to the uncertainty around the remaining active fires, ultimately locating the deceased suspect, as stated by the same KING 5 report.
The incident prompted evacuations of multiple businesses in the vicinity. An employee who experienced the harrowing ordeal recounted to KOMO News, "He said, ‘Get out, and call the police.' We had to let him go, he came back in with a gun and told us all to get out, and that’s what we did." Witnesses observed the suspect carrying a gas can and reportedly throwing a chair against a glass window before the onset of the fires and the discovery of his body.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the man's death, with the Valley Independent Investigation Team taking the lead on the case. Employees from surrounding businesses, like Janalyn Watson of Innovative Solutions, who detailed her experience to KATU, are in a state of shock but reported to be safe. "To my knowledge, everyone is OK," she said, illustrating the profound impact such a sudden act of violence can have on a community.
