Two of the seven people wounded in Wednesday night’s shooting that killed a woman in her 40s at a busy intersection of downtown Seattle were Amazon workers as police continue the search for two of the three gunmen.
Seattle police on Thursday asked the public for help in finding the two alleged gunmen – both of whom have extensive criminal records, according to local reports.
Seven others – among them a nine-year-old boy – were wounded by the shooting, which began outside a McDonald’s near 3rd Avenue and Pine Street.
That is the same intersection that is home to BlueShift, Amazon’s office building, where two company employees were standing outside when the gunfire erupted, according to KCPQ-TV.
This combination of undated photos released by the Seattle Police Department show William Ray Tolliver, left, and Marquise Tolbert, two people authorities are seeking in connection with a shootout in downtown Seattle that left a woman dead and a 9-year-old boy injured Wednesday evening
Amazon released a statement on Thursday confirming that two of its employees were wounded in Wednesday’s shooting. The two employees were standing outside the company office building, BlueShift, when gunfire erupted outside a nearby McDonald’s in downtown
Both of the wounded Amazon employees, who have not been identified as of early Thursday evening, were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
‘We are deeply troubled by last night’s events in Seattle and our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy … We are grateful to police and first responders for acting so quickly,’ an Amazon spokesperson said.
EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle
Initial police activity seemed to be focused around a McDonald’s that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity
Police walk past the scene of a shooting at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street on January 22, 2020 in the central business district of Seattle, Washington
The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings, and would have been packed with rush hour traffic
Seattle authorities arrested one person in connection with the shooting.
Police on Thursday released the names and photos of two other suspects who are missing: Marquise Tolbert and William Ray Tolliver, both 24.
Authorities are warning the public that the two men are considered armed and dangerous.
Both suspects have lengthy criminal records.
One of them has been arrested at least 44 times and has been convicted in court of criminal offenses at least 20 times.
The other has at least 21 arrests and 15 convictions.
Police Chief Carmen Best said that it was ‘not a random incident’ and there were ‘multiple people involved as shooters’ in what began as a dispute before ‘people pulled out guns, shots rang out.’
Police Chief Carmen Best said that there were ‘multiple people involved as shooters’ in what began as a dispute before ‘people pulled out guns, shots rang out’
According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing
EMT and Police rush to aid to a shooting victim in downtown on January 22, 2020 in Seattle
EMT and Police give first aid to a shooting victim in downtown on Wednesday in Seattle, Washington. Multiple people have been injured and police are still searching for the suspect
Best declined to say whether the suspects were known to police or gang involvement was suspected.
The wounded victims include a 55-year-old woman in critical condition and a nine-year-old boy in serious condition, officials said.
The other wounded victims were all adult males between the ages of 21 and 49 who were all listed as being in a stable condition.
The area where the shooting occurred is a busy intersection surrounded by stores and office buildings.
The area would have been packed with rush hour traffic and pedestrians at the time of the shooting.
Police activity was focused around a McDonald’s that has been the focus of prior community complaints about vagrancy and drug activity.
According to witness accounts, two men were arguing on the sidewalk prior to the shooting, and one or both of them produced guns and began firing.
The people struck by gunfire appeared to be innocent bystanders when the dispute turned violent, witnesses said.
Samantha Cook, 40, of Edmonds, said she was refilling her transit card in Westlake Station when she heard the shots.
‘I was on the first set of escalators,’ Cook said. ‘There were a lot of gunshots that started going off – maybe 10 or 11. It was just rapid fire.’
The scene was chaotic, she said.
Witnesses said that at least one shooter may have fled into a nearby underground transit station.
Officials urged residents to stay away from the downtown core due to heavy traffic and transit delays as the investigation and manhunt continues
Homicide and gang units were among the massive police response to the shooting. The Macy’s at 4th and Pine is seen in the background on Wednesday night above
The area has become an infamous open-air drug market known among dealers as ‘The Blade’
Police with guns drawn were seen searching the Westlake Station soon after the shooting.
The area where the shooting occurred is a formerly prosperous commercial district anchored by a Macy’s department store.
However, the neighborhood has become one of Seattle’s highest crime areas in recent years, hosting an open air drug market known among dealers as ‘The Blade’.
In a brief statement, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said: ‘I am sick for those impacted by the gun violence in Seattle tonight.’
Wednesday evening’s shooting was the third to occur in the area in the past 24 hours.
On Tuesday, a 55-year-old man was shot and critically wounded at the Westlake center. The unknown shooter escaped on foot dressed in all black.
And on Wednesday afternoon, an officer-involved shooting occurred when police shot a 28-year-old man in the nearby Belltown neighborhood. That suspect’s injuries were said to be non-life threatening.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Seattle Police at 206-233-5000.