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WSP trooper-involved shooting on I-5

Authorities and the SPD arson and bomb squad are investigating a trooper-involved shooting on I-5 Monday night near the Boylston exit just before the Ship Canal Bridge.

From the Washington State Patrol:

@wspd2pio: Incident on Ship Canal Bridge. Very little info at this point. Trooper arrived to a car fire and quickly after arriving was involved in shooting a subject. Will not give out any more info at this point as this is an active investigation. Will try and update when able to.

A spokesperson said southbound I-5 may be closed in the area past midnight as the investigation of the 6:44 PM incident continues.

We do not yet have confirmation of what lead to the shooting or the condition of the man who was shot. Some media outlets are reporting the driver stopped his vehicle on the freeway and painted a circle on the pavement as the truck caught fire before the trooper arrived.

UPDATE: From WSDOT:

DATE/TIME: June 16, 2014, 8:12 PM
DESCRIPTION: Update 8:12 PM : All lanes of southbound I-5 on the Ship Canal Bridge are closed due to police activity. WSDOT has dynamically switched the I-5 express lanes and opened them for southbound traffic to help with congestion. Drivers are still encouraged to take alternate routes and avoid the area. The Seattle Police and Fire Departments are on scene as well as the Washington State Patrol and WSDOT Incident Response. There is no estimate for reopening the roadway.

UPDATE x2: Here is the preliminary report on the incident fro SPD:

Seattle Police detectives are investigating after two Washington State troopers shot and wounded man armed with a knife. SPD is conducting this investigation at the request of the Washington State Patrol.

Just before 7 p.m., the Washington State Patrol received multiple calls of a man who had parked his truck across two lanes of south bound I-5 and then set his truck on fire.

Two Washington State troopers and a Washington State DOT Incident Response employee arrived on scene quickly. One of the troopers and the WSDOT employee began to extinguish the flames while the second trooper contacted the suspect.

The suspect displayed a knife and advanced on the trooper. The trooper used his Taser but this failed to subdue the suspect. The armed suspect continued to advance. Both troopers fired their duty handguns, striking the suspect and stopping him.

Seattle Fire medics transported the suspect to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of life threatening injuries.

Detectives shut down all south bound lanes on I-5 just north of the Ship Canal bridge in order to process the crime scene and search for evidence. Traffic has been diverted to the Express Lanes.

This information is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation proceeds.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to call the Seattle Police Homicide Unit at 206 684-5550.

UPDATE 6/17/14 8:45 AM: The man who was shot has died, according to multiple media reports.

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Dod
Dod
9 years ago

Sounds like someone who was either mentally disturbed or suicidal. Either way, very unfortunate all around. Despite the tremendous inconvenience for those in the area, at least it wasn’t another mass shooting.