A car came under gunfire early this morning near Ballard’s Philadelphia Church. Officers responded to the scene near the intersection of NW 77th Street and 24th Ave NW just after midnight. That’s where they found a man and a woman, both 19 years old, inside a car that had been shot up. The rear window of the car was shattered, there was a bullet hole in the driver’s side headrest, and there appeared to be bullet holes in the rear bumper. The male driver was hit in the shoulder but the bullet did not penetrate the skin.
Photo of damaged car courtesy of KIRO 7
The couple in the car told police they were driving around the neighborhood when they were confronted by two men, one wearing a black sweatshirt– the other a gray sweatshirt, in a gray Mazda. During this confrontation, they say the men got out of the car and pointed a handgun at them. The victims tried to get away by driving down side streets, but the suspects found the victims again and began “ramming” their car. The victim driver was able to turn his car around and drive off, but not before 3 shots were fired by the suspects.
Police could not find any damage to indicate the “ramming.” As officers were investigating the scene, they noticed a dark colored car drive off with two people inside. Officers were able to follow the vehicle and saw that the occupants matched the descriptions of the suspects. One of the victims positively identified the men as the ones responsible for shooting at them. The suspects were arrested and taken to the North Precinct, but told officers they were only driving by when they saw all the activity and decided to take a look.
Here’s where the story takes an unexpected turn. While giving a statement to police, the 19 year old female victim asked officers to get her the cigarettes from the car that had been shot up. That’s when police say they saw a small baggie of suspected cocaine inside the cigarette pack where she had been sitting. The woman was then placed under arrest for investigation of drugs. Police say the male driver and female passenger couldn’t answer the basic questions posed to them. Officers did not find any weapon on the suspects or in their car. The two suspects were interviewed and released. The female passenger from the victims’ car was booked into the King County Jail.
Thanks to KIRO 7 for use of the photo from the scene. You can read their story here.