Early Friday morning, the Seattle Police Department engaged with a suspect who reportedly fired at officers in the Washington Park neighborhood. The officers were responding to a domestic violence call when they arrived at the scene and found a wounded woman in the front yard of a residence. The woman had been shot and collapsed as officers tried to assist her. KING5 reported that Chief Shon Barnes provided details about the situation at a media briefing.
While officers tended to the woman, shots were fired at them from inside the home, prompting them to return fire. According to KIRO7, no officers were injured in the exchange, and it is believed that the suspect was also not hit by gunfire. The police issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood as the standoff with the barricaded suspect continued.
Chief Barnes confirmed that hostage negotiators are working to resolve the situation, attempting to persuade the suspect to surrender their weapon. The standoff has brought a significant police presence to the area, including at least a dozen police vehicles, four SWAT trucks, firefighting equipment, and K-9 units, as detailed in a report by KOMO News. A neighbor stated to KOMO News, mentioning that they heard "12 to 15 gunshots in two or three bursts." The escalated response by a large number of officers was immediate following the exchange.
