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Reported "Muslim" opens Fire Killing woman, injuring others in Jewish Federation Bldg
Friday, July 28, 2006 · Last updated 6:46 p.m. PT
At least one killed during shooting at Seattle Jewish federation
One person in custody
By PHUONG CAT LE, BRAD WONG, JOHN IWASAKI AND AMY ROLPH
P-I REPORTERs
Six people were shot - one fatally - this afternoon at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was upset about "what was going on in Israel."
Police spokesman Rich Pruitt said there was one shooter, who was apprehended without incident outside the Jewish Federation building located on the corner of Third Avenue and Virginia Street.
"We believe it's a lone individual acting out his antagonism," said David Gomez, who heads the FBI's counterterrorism efforts in Seattle.
Authorities did not release any details about the alleged gunman and would not discuss possible motives.
"There's nothing to indicate that it's terrorism related," Gomez said. "But we're monitoring the entire situation."
Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick confirmed one person had died.
Harborview spokeswoman Pamela Steele said five victims were taken to her facility, all women ranging in age from 20s to 40s. Each suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, knee, groin or arm. Three were in critical condition and still in the operating room. Two are in satisfactory condition.
One of the women in satisfactory condition is 20 weeks pregnant and was shot in the arm. Doctors believe she will be OK.
Authorities received a 911 call at 4:03 p.m. with reports of shots fired at the Jewish Federation and a possible hostage situation, Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz said at an early evening news conference.
Officers converged on the scene and took a man into custody. At one point, the alleged gunman had been talking to a police dispatcher, Metz said.
There were more than 10 people in the Jewish Federation building at the time, Metz said.
One witness, who declined to give her name, said a man walked into the Jewish Federation building with a gun, said he was upset about what was going on in Israel, then opened fire. After the shootings, the man said to call 911, the witness said. The witness said the man identified himself as an American Muslim.
Fighting has raged in the Middle East since Hezbollah, a Shiite group based in Lebanon, went into Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. Israel retaliated by striking targets in Lebanon and has sent troops into the southern part of the country. Since the conflict began, more than 400 have been killed in Lebanon and more than 50 soldiers and civilians have been killed in Israel.
Witnesses to the afternoon shooting and people who work at the Jewish Federation described a chaotic, terrifying scene.
Kami Knatt works at the federation's Holocaust center. As he exited the building, she saw a wounded coworker fall down. Knatt took her sweater off and tried to stop the bleeding.
"I asked her 'are you OK'. She said no I've been shot. 'I kept saying it's going to be OK."
The victim told Knatt: "I'm going to black out, I'm going to black out." Knatt replied: "You're going to be alright."
Several workers and victims ran toward a nearby Starbucks. There was a small pool of blood outside the coffee shop.
Nathaniel Mullins, 43, was turning onto Lenora Street with his 19-year-old daughter when he heard police say "get back! get back!"
Mullins said he saw two shooting victims. "They were covered in blood," he said.
"We were scared, heck yeah. It shook me for a moment."
Zach Carstensen, who is the director of government relations for the Jewish Federation, said he heard shots and screams.
"People started running and I started running with them," Carstensen said.
Asked whether he thought his office had been targeted because of the conflict in the Mideast, Carstensen said he wasn't sure. "We're all a little shaken, he said.
Sam Peterson, 18, who lives in an apartment on Third and Blanchard, said she was walking to the Lenora Apartment Building and cutting through the corner of Sigs Barbershop when she heard at least one gunshot.
She saw a blonde woman "drop to the ground. She screamed."
Immediately after the shooting, a SWAT team searched the federation building, looking for any other victims, anyone hiding or any other possible shooters, Pruitt said.
Police blocked off several city blocks to investigate.
Metz said police officers throughout the city were being asked to step up patrols of Jewish synagogues and Jewish organizations.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle was established 1926. According to its Web site, its mission is to "ensure Jewish survival and to enhance the quality of Jewish life locally, in Israel and worldwide."
Rabbi Daniel Weiner at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, said his congregation was planning to meet in Bellevue this evening anyway, but were waiting for police to advise them on whether to go ahead with the services.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is a fund raising and fund allocation organization.
"It is the Jewish version of the United Way," Weiner said. He said he is at a loss to understand why people in that building would be attacked.
"To delve into the mind of a clearly troubled and disturbed person is impossible," Weiner said. "It is heartbreaking to think of what is transpiring."
The Jewish Federation building is known for its security with gates and buzzers, puzzling many who go there as to how the gunman entered.
"The whole thing is an incredibly terrifying thing," said Vicki Robbins-Silverman, a member of Seattle's Jewish community and retired military wife. "It's unbelievable."
Silverman had visited the Jewish Federatoin only on Wednesday to pick up a friend, and found it "creepy" watching the building known for its community services to be surrounded by turmoil. The Jewish Federation houses a community Jewish newspaper and various member agencies, including the Washington Holocaust Educational Resource Center, the Jewish Education Council and other community services.
Word of the shooting quickly ricocheted around the world. Silverman heard quickly from a relative in Los Angeles who saw it on television. In Israel, Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post newspapers quickly had the story on their online front pages, just below stories about the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iantha Sidell, past board chair of Seattle's Jewish federation, went to Harborview after the shooting.
"This is just a disaster," she said. "We value every life. I don't know what we're going to do about it. We believe in life."
At least one killed during shooting at Seattle Jewish federation
One person in custody
By PHUONG CAT LE, BRAD WONG, JOHN IWASAKI AND AMY ROLPH
P-I REPORTERs
Six people were shot - one fatally - this afternoon at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was upset about "what was going on in Israel."
Police spokesman Rich Pruitt said there was one shooter, who was apprehended without incident outside the Jewish Federation building located on the corner of Third Avenue and Virginia Street.
"We believe it's a lone individual acting out his antagonism," said David Gomez, who heads the FBI's counterterrorism efforts in Seattle.
Authorities did not release any details about the alleged gunman and would not discuss possible motives.
"There's nothing to indicate that it's terrorism related," Gomez said. "But we're monitoring the entire situation."
Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick confirmed one person had died.
Harborview spokeswoman Pamela Steele said five victims were taken to her facility, all women ranging in age from 20s to 40s. Each suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, knee, groin or arm. Three were in critical condition and still in the operating room. Two are in satisfactory condition.
One of the women in satisfactory condition is 20 weeks pregnant and was shot in the arm. Doctors believe she will be OK.
Authorities received a 911 call at 4:03 p.m. with reports of shots fired at the Jewish Federation and a possible hostage situation, Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz said at an early evening news conference.
Officers converged on the scene and took a man into custody. At one point, the alleged gunman had been talking to a police dispatcher, Metz said.
There were more than 10 people in the Jewish Federation building at the time, Metz said.
One witness, who declined to give her name, said a man walked into the Jewish Federation building with a gun, said he was upset about what was going on in Israel, then opened fire. After the shootings, the man said to call 911, the witness said. The witness said the man identified himself as an American Muslim.
Fighting has raged in the Middle East since Hezbollah, a Shiite group based in Lebanon, went into Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. Israel retaliated by striking targets in Lebanon and has sent troops into the southern part of the country. Since the conflict began, more than 400 have been killed in Lebanon and more than 50 soldiers and civilians have been killed in Israel.
Witnesses to the afternoon shooting and people who work at the Jewish Federation described a chaotic, terrifying scene.
Kami Knatt works at the federation's Holocaust center. As he exited the building, she saw a wounded coworker fall down. Knatt took her sweater off and tried to stop the bleeding.
"I asked her 'are you OK'. She said no I've been shot. 'I kept saying it's going to be OK."
The victim told Knatt: "I'm going to black out, I'm going to black out." Knatt replied: "You're going to be alright."
Several workers and victims ran toward a nearby Starbucks. There was a small pool of blood outside the coffee shop.
Nathaniel Mullins, 43, was turning onto Lenora Street with his 19-year-old daughter when he heard police say "get back! get back!"
Mullins said he saw two shooting victims. "They were covered in blood," he said.
"We were scared, heck yeah. It shook me for a moment."
Zach Carstensen, who is the director of government relations for the Jewish Federation, said he heard shots and screams.
"People started running and I started running with them," Carstensen said.
Asked whether he thought his office had been targeted because of the conflict in the Mideast, Carstensen said he wasn't sure. "We're all a little shaken, he said.
Sam Peterson, 18, who lives in an apartment on Third and Blanchard, said she was walking to the Lenora Apartment Building and cutting through the corner of Sigs Barbershop when she heard at least one gunshot.
She saw a blonde woman "drop to the ground. She screamed."
Immediately after the shooting, a SWAT team searched the federation building, looking for any other victims, anyone hiding or any other possible shooters, Pruitt said.
Police blocked off several city blocks to investigate.
Metz said police officers throughout the city were being asked to step up patrols of Jewish synagogues and Jewish organizations.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle was established 1926. According to its Web site, its mission is to "ensure Jewish survival and to enhance the quality of Jewish life locally, in Israel and worldwide."
Rabbi Daniel Weiner at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, said his congregation was planning to meet in Bellevue this evening anyway, but were waiting for police to advise them on whether to go ahead with the services.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is a fund raising and fund allocation organization.
"It is the Jewish version of the United Way," Weiner said. He said he is at a loss to understand why people in that building would be attacked.
"To delve into the mind of a clearly troubled and disturbed person is impossible," Weiner said. "It is heartbreaking to think of what is transpiring."
The Jewish Federation building is known for its security with gates and buzzers, puzzling many who go there as to how the gunman entered.
"The whole thing is an incredibly terrifying thing," said Vicki Robbins-Silverman, a member of Seattle's Jewish community and retired military wife. "It's unbelievable."
Silverman had visited the Jewish Federatoin only on Wednesday to pick up a friend, and found it "creepy" watching the building known for its community services to be surrounded by turmoil. The Jewish Federation houses a community Jewish newspaper and various member agencies, including the Washington Holocaust Educational Resource Center, the Jewish Education Council and other community services.
Word of the shooting quickly ricocheted around the world. Silverman heard quickly from a relative in Los Angeles who saw it on television. In Israel, Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post newspapers quickly had the story on their online front pages, just below stories about the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iantha Sidell, past board chair of Seattle's Jewish federation, went to Harborview after the shooting.
"This is just a disaster," she said. "We value every life. I don't know what we're going to do about it. We believe in life."
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