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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

1 killed in triple shooting in Seattle’s busiest light rail station

Trains were stopped immediately after three people were shot on the northbound platform of the Westlake light-rail station Friday night. (Neal Morton / The Seattle Times)
By Mike Carter The Seattle Times

One man was killed and two were wounded in a triple shooting Friday night at the Westlake light-rail station, according to Seattle police.

The gunman remains at large as of Saturday morning.

Responding officers performed CPR on the victims, according to the police department. But the man died shortly after medics brought him to Harborview Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The other men also were brought to Harborview. One man has been discharged; the other remains in critical condition, Gregg said Saturday morning.

The shooting occurred on the northbound tunnel platform at about 9:20 p.m. A witness said he saw one person yell, pull a gun and start firing. The shooter, who was wearing a dark hoodie, fled, the witness said.

The person seen firing the gun was standing not far from the victims.

The shooting did not appear to be random, according to police. The gunman and at least two of the victims may have been in an altercation near Third Avenue and Pine Street, and then came into the tunnel station, according to police spokesman Detective Mark Jamieson, who posted a news release online after 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Earlier, Jamieson said it was not clear if the victims all had a relationship to each other.

Authorities were reviewing video from surveillance cameras at the transit station and elsewhere.

Westlake Station remained closed into the night and traffic in the area along Third Avenue was shut down, as police investigated. The tunnel re-opened early Saturday morning and trains are running as scheduled, according to Sound Transit.

About 80,000 people ride Link light rail each weekday. Westlake, in the heart of downtown, is the system’s busiest station, with more than 12,000 boardings each weekday.

Staff reporter Heidi Groover contributed to this report.

Mike Carter can be reached at (206) 464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @stimesmcarter.