Peninsula Daily News news services
SEATTLE — A gunman killed four people in Seattle on Wednesday — three at a cafe and another in a carjacking — before he apparently shot himself as officers closed in following a citywide manhunt, authorities said.
He was listed in critical condition at a local hospital.
Police searching for the suspect in the first shooting near the University of Washington also had to respond to another fatal incident near the city’s downtown. They say a man killed a woman in an apparent carjacking and fled in a black SUV.
Authorities said late Wednesday they believe one man was responsible for both attacks.
“At this time, we feel pretty confident that we have the suspect,” said Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz.
The Seattle Times said the man was identified by law enforcement sources as Ian Lee Stawicki, 40, of Seattle.
His brother Andrew Stawicki, 29, of Ellensburg, told The Times that when he saw a photo on the news of the alleged gunman inside Cafe Racer he recognized it as his brother.
Stawicki told the Times that his brother, Ian, was mentally ill.
“It’s no surprise to me this happened. We could see this coming. Nothing good is going to come with that much anger inside of you,” Andrew Stawicki said.
Other shootings
The latest spasm of deadly gun violence to hit the city worried Seattle’s leaders and prompted police to consider increasing patrols in high-crime areas. The four deaths bring the number of homicides so far this year to 20, compared with 21 in all of last year.
Police said residents could expect a heightened police presence in the city for the time being.
Gunfire erupted late Wednesday morning at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington.
The gunman was described as a man in his 30s wearing dark clothes. Police have not released a suspect’s name.
Police released two photos from inside the cafe, apparently taken from a security camera. One shows a man walking into the establishment, with a woman nearby reading a book. Another photo shows stools overturned, and the man standing and holding what appears to be a handgun.
Two men died at the scene. A woman from the cafe died at a hospital.
Evan Hill, who lives above the building where the shooting happened, said the cafe was an artists’ collective and performance space.
“It’s the strangest place to think of a shooting,” said Hill, who heard four to five shots. He said he ran to his balcony and called 911, but didn’t see a suspect.
On a street corner across from the cafe, friends of the victims gathered by the ivy-covered wall of an apartment building. Some collapsed in grief. The cafe’s owner hugged them and commiserated.
Units of police officers marched by with rifles and shotguns, knocking on doors and checking driveways and yards in the neighborhood of single-family, bungalow-style homes, restaurants and businesses.
Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said late Wednesday afternoon that a plain-clothes detective spotted the cafe suspect in the southwestern part of the city and called for unformed officers and a SWAT team. As those officers arrived, the man put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, Pugel said.
During the manhunt, Roosevelt High School, Eckstein Middle School and Greenlake Elementary were locked down, according to the school district.
In the second shooting, the SUV that the gunman used to flee was found abandoned later. The suspect shot himself not far from where the SUV was found, authorities said.
Random killings
In the last month, there have been two random killings in the city.
Last week, a man died when a stray bullet struck him as he and his family drove down a Seattle street. In late April, a woman died of injuries suffered in an apparently random drive-by shooting near downtown.
No arrests have been made in either of those fatalities.
On Saturday, a bystander was wounded near the iconic Space Needle when he was struck by a bullet allegedly fired by a gang member involved in a dispute with another man, authorities said.
Later that night, about 60 shots were fired in drive-by shootings at four houses. No one was hit.
Besides the plan to increase the number of officers on patrol in high-crime areas, police are urging people with information about shootings to come forward.
At a news conference, Mayor Mike McGinn said the spate of violence had “shaken” the city.
“It’s going to take our political leaders, coming together, to give our police officers the support and tools they need to do their jobs,” McGinn said.
City Councilman Bruce Harrell said leaders needed to consider everything – from changing laws to addressing the culture of violence.
“If we are to be honest, there’s no easy fix,” he said.
