idiots,but not squares
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Two more people are shot dead
Latest homicides raise number slain in Seattle in the past week to five
By HECTOR CASTRO
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Two people were shot dead yesterday in unrelated shootings, bringing to five the number of people slain in Seattle in the past week.
"It definitely strains the resources of the homicide unit," Seattle police spokesman Duane Fish said. "These detectives have been working non-stop."
Last week, two men were shot dead in separate incidents and one man was beaten to death.
"These are all isolated incidents," Fish said.
The first shooting yesterday took place outside Oscar's club in Seattle's Central District.
About 1 a.m., a group of men in the club began arguing. The argument spilled outside and two men began to fight.
Several people had gathered to watch the fight when an acquaintance of the man fighting the victim pulled out a gun, said something and began to shoot, authorities said. The 33-year-old victim was shot twice, once in the neck and once in the torso.
Despite the number of witnesses, police have had difficulty obtaining information about the shooting.
"We're in need of assistance from those who were there," Fish said.
The second shooting happened just past 11:15 a.m. in West Seattle at the corner of 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Juneau Street.
Witnesses told police that a man wearing a black puffy coat walked up to a teenager riding his bicycle and began to fire.
The teen was struck several times in his chest and both arms. Several neighbors saw the gunman hustle away and more than one followed him briefly to give police an idea of the direction of his flight, Fish said.
The gunman remained at large yesterday.
Raul Villalobos was in his home office working when he happened to glance up and see someone walk past. Moments later, he said, he heard at least five gunshots.
He ran outside and saw the teen down on the ground across the street.
"He moved a little," Villalobos said.
Villalobos looked for the man he'd seen moments earlier from his office window but the man was nowhere around. He hopped in his car, he said, and drove around the area, but didn't see the man again.
Seattle fire medics rushed the teen to Harborview Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.
Shell casings were noted with bright yellow markers and an officer with a police dog scoured the neighborhood for additional clues.
Neighbors complained that the shooting was likely gang related, but Seattle police said it was too early in their investigation to say what prompted the shooting.