Attack victim shoots, kills man on plaza
In what appeared to be a case of justifiable homicide, a man was shot and fatally wounded on a crowded sidewalk outside of Westlake Center over the weekend, Seattle Police said.
Witnesses told police a man in a yellow shirt was acting erratically, insulting and threatening passing pedestrians near the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on Saturday morning. About 30 minutes later, a man matching the same description was reported near Westlake Center.
When another man walked through the nearby plaza after finishing his lunch, the man in the yellow shirt apparently focused on him, saying he was going to kill him and then began to punch and kick him until the injured man fell to the sidewalk.
Police said the assault victim had a concealed-weapons permit and was carrying a handgun. He pulled out the gun and fired once, hitting his attacker in the abdomen.
The man in the yellow shirt died after being taken to Harborview Medical Center. The King County Medical Examiner was working to determine his identity. The dead man carried no identification.
The shooter, whose name was not released, was arrested, but detectives determined they did not have probable cause to book him into the King County Jail and released him.
– Associated Press
Richland
Yacht club fuel spill edges into Columbia
The state Department of Ecology was called to contain a small fuel spill at a yacht club Sunday after receiving reports about strong diesel odors coming from the marina.
Officials were trying to determine the source of the diesel spill at the Richland Yacht Club at the Columbia Point Marina, which Ecology spokeswoman Sandy Howard estimated at 5 to 10 gallons.
A spills response team placed a containment boom around the boat harbor to keep the fuel from spreading, Howard said.
Some of the fuel was swept into the Columbia River, which Howard described as “an unrecoverable sheen.”
“The good news is we’ve gone as far as two miles downriver and haven’t found any fuel in pockets or coves where you’d expect it to collect,” Howard said.
– Associated Press
Spokane
Columbus Day affects services
The following offices and services are among those that will be affected by the Columbus Day holiday today.
•Coeur d’Alene and Spokane city offices will remain open.
•Post offices will be closed with express delivery services only.
•Most banks will be closed. Check with individual branches for availability.
•Kootenai County offices will be closed.
•Spokane County offices will be open.
– From staff reports