Woman claims she was ‘abandoned’ by police after Columbia City shooting
Jul 2, 2024, 9:24 AM | Updated: 9:24 am
The window of an Uber was shot out during a drive-by in Columbia City. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
A woman is accusing the Seattle Police Department (SPD) of abandoning her after she was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting that left her traumatized.
The shooting the woman survived happened in Columbia City last Tuesday at South Snoqualmie Street and Martin Luther King Jr Way South. She was getting into an Uber when two teens began shooting at each other. One bullet was found lodged in her headrest.
Officers were in the middle of a search for the gunman who had just shot a 17-year-old boy in the leg.
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When officers arrived, they discovered an Uber with two people inside had bullet holes. The woman told KIRO 7 she waited for an hour for a Seattle police officer to talk to them. And even then, she called it a cursory, uncaring interview.
“We almost died and they just told us to leave,” she said. “Like those bullets went through this side, all the way out the other side. All the way through the whole entire car. There were bullet holes on both sides.”
Police defended the officer handling the case, stating he interviewed her and the Uber driver and then told them they were free to leave. She is considering suing the department.
The gunmen have not been caught, as of this reporting.
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“All I heard was two separate gunshots simultaneously,” neighbor Rose Fornier said.
Forner and her daughter, Rebecca, heard the shots from inside their apartment.
The 17-year-old male was transported to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.
Two suspects fired from a gray Honda and struck the victim’s vehicle, according to police. An additional vehicle was hit by gunfire causing damage, but no injuries.
Contributing: KIRO 7
