A shootout near the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club sent at least one hooded man running and leaping for cover near a multi-sport field Tuesday evening, with the chaotic scene captured on bystander video. Seattle police say two suspects opened fire on a parked black SUV near South Oregon Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, and at least two people inside the SUV got out and returned fire.
According to FOX 13 Seattle, officers responded to the Columbia City neighborhood Tuesday night after reports of gunfire near the youth center. A bystander submitted video of the incident to the station showing one hooded man running and jumping near the nearby sports field to avoid being hit; the same man appeared to return gunfire.
Police say the black SUV was occupied by at least two people, per the Seattle Police Department, when the two suspects opened fire on it. The occupants then exited the vehicle and fired back, according to police. Despite the exchange of gunfire, authorities located no victims at the scene, and officers have not identified or located any suspects.
Casings Recovered, Property Damaged
Officers recovered numerous spent shell casings and live ammunition rounds from the scene, the report notes, and the shooting damaged nearby property. The Seattle Police Department's Gun Violence Reduction Unit was notified of the incident, and the investigation remains ongoing with no arrests announced.
Second Shooting Rattled North Seattle Days Earlier
The Columbia City shootout comes just days after a separate, far larger shooting rattled north Seattle. Police investigated a shooting near North 107th Street and Stone Avenue North on October 24, according to KOMO News. In that incident, one person was grazed by a bullet while several homes and cars were struck by gunfire.
Police recovered more than 80 shell casings from multiple different firearms, including rifles and handguns, in the north Seattle case, the outlet reported. Witnesses described a black sedan fleeing toward Aurora Avenue North, though officers were unable to locate the vehicle, and no suspects were in custody as of that report. Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit were assigned to that investigation as well.
One north Seattle resident told the station he calls in reports of gunshots at least weekly, usually hearing them near Aurora Avenue North — a detail that speaks to how routine gunfire complaints have become in parts of the city even as investigators work both open cases. It remains unclear whether the two shootings are connected in any way.
No further details on injuries, suspects, or a motive have been released in the Columbia City case, and police have not said whether the two incidents are related. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Seattle police as the investigation continues.
