Police shoot naked suspect after woman beaten to death under Magnolia Bridge
Aug 25, 2015, 6:17 AM | Updated: 10:25 am
(Google Street image)
Seattle police officers ended an overnight standoff with gunfire after a suspected murderer barricaded himself inside a tent under the Magnolia Bridge.
Police were called to the Magnolia Bridge on Monday around 9:30 p.m. for reports of an assault. Officers arrived to find a gruesome scene.
They first responded to 15th Avenue West and West Garfield, and found a man with life-threatening injuries, who pointed police to a spot underneath the nearby Magnolia Bridge. The injured man told officers another man attacked a woman inside a tent.
Upon inspecting the scene underneath the bridge, officers found a woman, beaten to death inside a tent. They discovered the suspect, who was naked, in a neighboring tent. Armed with a weapon, the man refused to leave the shelter.
Seattle police have not specified which type of weapon the man possessed, but Captain Neil Low told Q13 it was reported to be a stick with a metal end.
The man refused police demands to leave his tent. Negotiators were called in and a standoff lasted approximately five hours. The standoff ended when a SWAT team charged the tent. The suspect emerged with his weapon and ran at an officer who then used his firearm to shoot the man in his leg.
Both the suspect and the injured witness were taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Two investigations are now underway: One for the officer-involved shooting and another for the death of the woman.