20 injured in 2 separate shootings in Seattle area
SEATTLE – At least 20 people were injured in two unrelated shootings that took place within hours of each other in Seattle suburbs over the weekend, authorities said.
In the first, 13 people were wounded after a fight erupted into gunfire at a lowrider car show late Saturday afternoon in Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle.
About 10 hours later, in the neighboring city of Auburn, police said a jealous husband walked into a casino nightclub with a handgun and opened fire on his estranged wife, her male companion and her two sisters as they danced. Three others were wounded before the suspect was tackled by a casino security guard as he fled the nightclub, authorities said.
No deaths have been reported in either shooting.
“What’s unusual is that so many got shot and nobody got killed,” said Ralph Fascitelli, board president of Washington CeaseFire, a statewide group that seeks to reduce gun violence. “To have two things back to back, it’s a quirk, but I’m not surprised. It’s a wake-up call to officials to do more about gun violence in this state. It’s very lucky that nobody got killed.”
Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said three women in their 30s and a 29-year-old man were brought to her Seattle facility from the casino. Two were in serious condition and two were satisfactory Sunday, she said. Three other victims taken to Valley Medical Center in Renton suffered minor injuries.
None of the injuries in the car show shooting was life threatening, officials said. Nine people ranging from age 14 to 32 were taken to Harborview Medical Center with injuries to arms, legs, feet and torso from that shooting. Four were treated and released Saturday night, and five people were in satisfactory condition, Gregg said Sunday. Four others were shot, at least two of whom went to other hospitals, the Seattle Times reported.
By late Sunday, no arrests had been made in the car show shootings, said Kent police Sgt. Jarod Kasner. “We’re chasing down every lead we have,” he said, adding that he is not sure the shooting was gang-related or what started the altercation.