Three Seattle police officers exchanged gunfire with a man in Ballard Thursday evening, leaving him in critical condition.
Chief Shon Barnes said officers had been dispatched to a domestic violence call from a woman who said someone was following her. The shooting took place in the intersection of Northwest 62nd Street and 28th Avenue Northwest at around 5:40 p.m., police said.
The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center and was in critical condition, hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said Thursday night. One officer was taken to a hospital with a graze wound on his leg and is expected to recover, Barnes said.
Asked if the man pointed a weapon at officers or shot at them, Barnes said: “We're going to leave that to the investigation,” which will be conducted by the King County Independent Force Investigation Team.
By around 7 p.m., officers had cordoned off two blocks of 28th Avenue Northwest between 63rd Street and the Ballard Community Center. A handful of officers stood around the perimeter, one interviewing a witness. A mental health specialist with the department ducked under the crime scene tape, looking for the involved officer.
Barnes said the department will release body-worn camera footage from the involved officers within 72 hours.
Nearby Adams Elementary School was placed under lockdown, Barnes said. Students are dismissed around 2:30, but some people were still in the building. No one in the school was injured, Barnes said.
“No matter where we're standing in this city, whether we're by a school or someone's home or by a business, violence against our community is never OK,” he said.
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