A 47-year-old Seattle man was arrested Sunday after allegedly shooting a woman in the thigh because she took longer than expected whilst showering at his Chinatown-International District apartment.
Officers were called around 6 a.m. to the 500 block of Rainier Avenue South, where they found a 26-year-old woman with what appeared to be a small-calibre gunshot wound to her upper right thigh, according to police.
Officers provided first aid until Seattle Fire Department crews arrived and transported the woman to Harborview Medical Centre.
She was listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
The woman told officers she had gone to the man’s flat to take a shower and was shot after taking longer than expected, investigators said.
She was unsure whether she had been shot with a pellet gun or a firearm, according to police.
As officers continued investigating, the suspect came out of the flat and was taken into custody without incident, police said.
Detectives later served a search warrant at the flat and recovered a BB gun, a pellet rifle, and a small-calibre handgun.
The department’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit responded to the scene and is leading the investigation.
The 47-year-old man was taken to Harborview Medical Centre and placed under hospital guard, police said.
He is expected to be booked into the King County Jail after a medical evaluation.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to ring the Seattle Police Department’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
The reason for the shooting, that the woman took longer than expected in the shower, represents such a trivial provocation that it suggests either severe mental illness, substance abuse, or a history of controlling behaviour that escalated to violence over a minor perceived slight.
The 6 a.m. timing means the shooting occurred early Sunday morning. The woman going to the man’s flat specifically to shower suggests she may have been experiencing homelessness or housing instability, or that she knew him well enough to use his facilities.
The 21-year age gap between the 47-year-old man and 26-year-old woman raises questions about the nature of their relationship. Whether they were romantic partners, friends, or whether he was providing her shelter in exchange for something creates different contexts for understanding the violence.
The woman’s uncertainty about whether she’d been shot with a pellet gun or firearm indicates the wound was small enough that she couldn’t immediately distinguish the weapon type. Small-calibre firearms and high-powered pellet guns can produce similar wounds.
The serious but stable condition suggests the bullet or pellet penetrated tissue but didn’t strike bone, major blood vessels, or the femoral artery that runs through the upper thigh. A femoral artery wound would have caused life-threatening bleeding.
The suspect coming out of the flat and surrendering without incident suggests either he didn’t realise the severity of shooting someone or he recognised the inevitability of arrest once police were outside his door. Some domestic violence perpetrators experience a “cooling off” period after violence where they become compliant.
The search warrant recovering three different weapons, a BB gun, pellet rifle, and small-calibre handgun, indicates the suspect had multiple options for inflicting harm. The variety of weapons suggests someone who collects or uses guns regularly.
BB guns and pellet rifles can cause serious injuries despite not being classified as firearms under federal law. High-powered air rifles can penetrate skin and underlying tissue, causing wounds that require surgical treatment.
The Gun Violence Reduction Unit’s involvement signals police view this as a serious gun crime despite the suspect’s arrest. The unit focuses on repeat offenders and patterns of gun violence.
The suspect being taken to Harborview Medical Centre before jail booking suggests either he sustained injuries during the incident, has a medical condition requiring evaluation, or is undergoing mental health assessment. Hospital guard placement indicates he’s considered a flight risk or danger.
The 500 block of Rainier Avenue South places the shooting in the Chinatown-International District, an area that has experienced increased crime and public safety concerns in recent years as services for people experiencing homelessness have concentrated there.
