An officer-involved shooting occurred last week in the Chinatown-International District (CID), leading to the death of a suspect who held an axe and pointed a handgun at officers.
On Oct. 30, at approximately 4:15 p.m., Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers were dispatched to reports of a man holding an axe near 5th Avenue S. and S. Holgate Street, SPD announced.
Axe-wielding suspect induces shooting in CID
As officers arrived at the scene, they attempted to communicate with the suspect, stating, “Put down the axe and we won’t touch you,” and repeatedly commanded the man to put the axe down.
The suspect was informed that he was being detained and not free to leave, but the suspect continued to respond with defensive comments toward officers.
“Do not put your hands on me in the name of the Lord,” the suspect said to officers.
Officers relayed to the suspect through their vehicles’ speakers that they wouldn’t touch the man, but needed him to stop running in order to talk to him.
“Listen up, if you don’t stop walking, we’re going to have to use force against you. We don’t want to use force against you. You understand?” Officers told the suspect through their vehicle’s intercom.
SPD eventually utilized less-than-lethal tools on the suspect by firing what appeared to be rubber bullets at the man as he attempted to flee across the street from officers.
At least two less-lethal rounds were fired by SPD officers as the suspect attempted to escape, but he later came to a stop on the sidewalk as officers drove up behind him. As the SPD vehicle approached the suspect from behind, he pulled out a firearm from his jacket pocket and pointed it at officers inside their car.
The suspect appeared to have attempted to fire the weapon. He turned the gun to the side as if to check if the safety was on, then continued to struggle with firing it before the suspect dropped the firearm altogether.
Simultaneously, multiple officers called out that the suspect had a gun, and more than one officer began to fire at the man. A few shots from officers appeared to have been fired into the dirt near the suspect’s feet before the man was shot and killed.
SPD and the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) immediately provided medical care to the suspect, although the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
