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Twilight exit
A shooting at the Twilight Exit on Sunday night has KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank feeling especially grateful to be alive. (Image courtesy Facebook - Twilight Exit)

Luke has a close call with deadly Seattle bar shooting

BY Josh Kerns  on January 28, 2013 @ 11:31 am (Updated: 12:14 pm - 1/28/13 )

A shooting at a Central Area bar Sunday night that left one man dead and two others injured has KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank feeling especially grateful to be alive after realizing he came close to being there at the time.

Police say an angry man charged into the Twilight Exit at 26th and Cherry to accost his girlfriend and bouncers kicked him out. He returned shortly after around 10 p.m. and shot the woman and a bouncer. Patrons dove under tables or fled for their lives. The police shot the man to death outside after he took a shot at cops and wouldn't drop his gun.

A few hours later, a text message about the shooting woke Luke and his girlfriend.

"Why is this important to us? Because we were talking about going to that bar last night," Luke says.

Luke and his girlfriend regularly frequent the popular bar just blocks from his house for food and Karaoke. It's usually trouble free. The only reason they decided not to go was they got caught up watching a few episodes of a favorite TV show instead.

"Who knows if we would have been in any kind of cross fire, probably not, probably would have just been an upsetting thing for us because he apparently had one target in mind."

Still, it's got him thinking of how close we all potentially come to tragedy on a regular basis.

"Our lives are always coming closer than we probably realize to some terrible stuff happening," Luke says. "I think we forget that this life is incredibly precious and incredibly fragile and we're very lucky to be here."

The close call reminds Luke of the shooting death of Justin Ferrari - the 42-year-old Seattle man killed by random gunfire as he drove through a Central Area intersection May 24, just blocks from the Twilight Exit.

Luke drives that intersection everyday, and can't help but think about Ferrari. But he insists although it crosses his mind, he refuses to live in fear of "what might happen."

"You can't obviously go through life worried that a stray bullet is going to find you, because the chances are very slim of that happening."

Still, he says incidents like these do remind him how grateful he is for all he's got.

"We are lucky to be alive, all of us."

And as for worry about returning to the bar? He has none. "I'd go there right now. Anyone want to cover the show for me?"

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (21)


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  • irony wrote...
    the failed buy back program did not stop this
    January 28, 2013 11:19 am
    the criminals did not and will not turn in their guns. they can get them thru the pot supply channels and thanks to all you liberals legalizing it you can't stop the pot supply highway from importing guns to criminals.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Here's a straw, Luke...
    January 28, 2013 12:18 pm
    suck it up.

    Can I put you in touch with a whole bunch of 19 - 45 year olds who spend at least a year in Iraq or Afghanistan?

    My gosh, you live such a dangerous life on the edge.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    What this proves is all liberals are wrong when it comes to guns.
    January 28, 2013 12:28 pm
    See, it's ALREADY ILLEGAL to have a gun in a bar. Yet...so yeah, all your "gun control laws" will work. Can't see the forrest; too many trees in they way.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    In 1958 I was nearly blown up by the dynomite explosion in Roseburg, Oregon.
    January 28, 2013 12:30 pm
    Close call, but we decided to take a side trip to Reno, so we weren't there.

    For the love of Pete, Luke. You STAYED HOME. So..... just how was that 'a close call' ? ... It's not like you were actually there. .. Or anywhere actually close to 'a stray bullet'. ... For gosh sake, you only even found out about the shooting via text message.

    Oh, well. If you want to be a drama queen, go right ahead. But, really, you were about 3 degrees of separation away from this shooting.

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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Luke and his girlfriend regularly frequent the popular bar just blocks from his house
    January 28, 2013 12:30 pm
    So close....yet so far. Yes. You should now cower in your house, behind locked everything. Have your girlfriend stand in front of you; it's obvious she's more of a man than you are...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Close Call ... Really !!
    January 28, 2013 12:49 pm
    Project much. I bet you tell people you almost won the lottery too when you have 5 numbers that are within 8 of the winner. Or that you almost won the Indy 500 when you skipped over it on the TV.

    You must be really self absorbed.

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  • po_guy wrote...
    THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT ON I-5 ONE DAY
    January 28, 2013 1:03 pm
    And it was a fatality accident...I am so lucky to be alive today, because I might have travelled that way!!! I even thought about driving on I-5 that day, but things developed that kept me from it. CRIMINEY!!! I could have been hit by a piece of the car that broke up!!!
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  • flipper wrote...
    This is news?
    January 28, 2013 1:32 pm
    I almost went to a bar but stayed home? Really? Spend any time outside your own mind recently? They give this clown a radio show by himself? I wonder what the ratings are? Oh, that doesn't matter because he's there spewing the lefty BS that management wants. Anyone seen John Curley recently?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    It's only "news" to a self-obsorbed, narcissist like Burbank.
    January 28, 2013 1:34 pm
    ...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mnpat wrote...
    popular bar just blocks from his house for food and Karaoke
    January 28, 2013 1:50 pm
    I'm sure he didn't go there for a drink or two........but you picked a location in Seattle, not far from a bar and did you honestly feel you were going to be without some excitement some day. Wonder if there is a chance you might get an owie if you play on the freeway as well. You know, the world does not revolve around you, if you really are so concerned as it appears you want us all to believe....move.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gomariners wrote...
    Kudos
    January 28, 2013 2:23 pm
    to Luke for avoiding this awful situation. I reckon this bar will be adding a Gun Free Zone sticker to avoid shootings in the future.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    gomariners, this solution will not work
    January 30, 2013 6:40 am
    unless you add to the sign, "PLEASE do not bring weapons into this facility."

    That's the real problem with all our laws, they don't say "please." ;-)

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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