Seattle police say a torched vehicle discovered early Friday morning in Phinney Ridge is connected to the fatal shooting that rocked a University District church just hours earlier, deepening a homicide investigation that has left a local congregation in mourning.
The white Hyundai Elantra—found fully engulfed in flames around 12:30 a.m. in the 5500 block of Phinney Avenue North—matches the vehicle identified by detectives as being involved in the Thursday night shooting outside Pursuit NW Church. Fire crews responded to the blaze, but the car was already badly damaged by the time officers arrived.
The fatal shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Thursday as families gathered for a dinner event in the church’s parking lot, near the corner of Northeast 47th Street and 17th Avenue Northeast. According to Pastor Russell Johnson, a man was shot and killed in front of his wife and young son just moments after the family arrived. The victim’s name has not yet been released.
“We’re doing our best to minister to the family and to the young adults who were present and now have to carry the trauma of witnessing something so horrific,” Johnson said in a video message posted to the church’s social media channels. Despite the tragedy, he confirmed the church will proceed with Sunday services, asking the community for prayer and support in the days ahead.
The church has offered a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Police say they are reviewing surveillance footage and forensic evidence recovered from both the shooting scene and the burned vehicle.
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes emphasized that the killing did not appear to be random. “This seems to be a targeted act,” Barnes said. “What’s disturbing is that even when people intend to do harm, they often don’t care about where they are or who might be caught in the crossfire. We don’t yet know the full relationship between those involved, but that’s central to our investigation.”
The church sits just blocks from the University of Washington campus, though investigators say there is no indication that the individuals involved had any connection to the university.
This marks Seattle’s 23rd homicide of the year and comes amid a broader conversation about safety, gun violence, and how community spaces—from parks to places of worship—are increasingly being impacted. For the Pursuit NW congregation, the loss is not just tragic, but deeply personal.
As detectives continue their search for the shooter, police are urging anyone with information about the incident—or the burned Hyundai Elantra—to come forward. The city’s reward-backed tip line remains open, and officials hope that someone, somewhere, saw something that will lead to answers.
