A 25-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two people at the Capri Hookah Lounge on Rainier Avenue early Sunday morning is being held on $5 million bail.
The deadly incident, which occurred around 3:30 a.m., claimed the lives of a security guard and another man.
According to authorities, the suspect allegedly shot Ozzie Whitfield in the head before security personnel attempted to intervene. Julius Rodriguez, an armed security guard, confronted the suspect but was also fatally shot. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say video evidence links the suspect to the crime, though his attorney contends that no eyewitnesses have directly identified him as the shooter. During a court hearing on Monday, the judge acknowledged concerns over the issue of identity. “It certainly appears identity is going to be an issue in this case,” the judge said. However, officers testified that they had reviewed the surveillance footage and were able to identify the suspect.
The suspect, who refused to appear in court on Monday, was later located at Valley Medical Center in Renton. Police noted that he had a gunshot wound to the leg and a forehead injury, which matched the injuries seen on the surveillance video. The footage reportedly showed the shooter sustaining a leg injury and striking his head on a beam while fleeing the scene.
Speaking on the tragedy, Willie Whitfield, the uncle of one of the victims, expressed his grief and frustration. “They just like to pull the trigger and bam, they don’t even care about their own life these days,” he said. “I don’t think another person should go out and take another individual’s life for nothing. Because you and me had a little misunderstanding? I don’t think that’s right.”
A member of the lounge’s security team, who requested anonymity, described Rodriguez as “a great guy” and commended his bravery. “It’s a loss that we’re definitely going to be affected by,” he said.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Authorities continue to investigate as they work to reconstruct the events that led to the tragic loss of life.
