CRIME BLOTTER

‘It’s unreal:’ Gunmen shoot-up Burien home, killing woman in her 80s

Aug 28, 2024, 3:52 PM

Photo: A woman in Burien was killed after gunmen shot up her home....

A woman in Burien was killed after gunmen shot up her home. (Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)

(Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)

Neighbors in a cul-de-sac on South 130th Place in Burien said they were awakened by gunfire at about 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday.

“It sounded like a big pack of fireworks going off,” next-door neighbor Angel Cigarroa told KIRO Newsradio on Wednesday.

Police arrived and found dozens of shell casings on the street and nine bullet holes in the home.

“Deputies went in and located a female in her 80s,” King County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Brandyn Hull told KIRO Newsradio. “She had suffered at least one gunshot wound. They immediately started life-saving measures. Unfortunately, the female did not survive.”

Local crime: Will juvenile crime laws change after tragic Alderwood Mall murder?

The woman’s family said there were four men who fled the scene on foot. Deputies have very little information about the suspects or why the home was targeted.

Burien neighbors shocked by shooting in normally quiet neighborhood

There are six homes on the normally quiet cul-de-sac. Most neighbors were sleeping when the gunfire started.

“At that point, my husband jumped out the window to go check out the situation,” neighbor Caitlin O’Brien told KIRO Newsradio. “I just stayed inside with the kids. That’s all I saw.”

Neighbors said they hear about this kind of violence all the time but they never expected it to happen on their quiet cul-de-sac.

“This is a close community,” Cigarroa said. “We all know each other. We all get along. For something like this to happen a couple of doors down … It’s unreal.”

King County Sheriff’s deputies are asking anyone who knows anything about this shooting to call 911. Meanwhile, they want everyone to be sure they can protect themselves.

“These kids, it’s really easy for them to access guns these days, and the problem is, these kids are trying to make a name for themselves,” Cigarroa said.

More shootings: Officer-involved shooting in Kent ends with suspect taking his own life

O’Brien said the shooting is a reminder to keep a gun nearby.

“It’s definitely tragic and a reminder to protect your property, and yourselves, and your loved ones, and just stay armed,” she said.

So far, deputies have very little information about the shooters, or why the house was targeted.

James Lynch is a reporter at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on X, or email him here.

Crime Blotter

Photo: Skylar Johnson was shot and killed in the Sand Point neighborhood Sunday morning....

James Lynch and Frank Sumrall

Shooting in Seattle’s Sand Point neighborhood Sunday leaves one dead

A 23-year-old man died from a shooting in the Sand Point neighborhood Sunday morning, according to the Seattle Police Department.

4 hours ago

Photo: A Pierce County man was sentenced last week to seven years in prison for drug trafficking an...

Julia Dallas

Pierce County man sentenced to 7 years in prison for drugs, guns

A Pierce County man was sentenced last week to seven years in prison for drug trafficking and illegally having guns.

5 hours ago

Photo: Snohomish County deputies reported an unknown man entered a family's apartment and sexually ...

Julia Dallas

Man arrested in random sexual assault of Bothell child

A 23-year-old man from Bothell was arrested on Monday in Snohomish County in connection with the sexual assault of a child.

5 hours ago

Image: Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is e...

Associated Press

Judge orders change of venue in trial of man charged with killing 4 Idaho college students

A judge has agreed to move the trial Brian Kohberger, the man charged in the stabbing deaths of four Idaho students, to a different city.

11 hours ago

shooting belltown nightclub...

Frank Sumrall

Two injured from weekend shooting at Belltown nightclub

The SPD is investigating a shooting that occurred inside a Belltown nightclub Saturday morning at approximately 1 a.m.

14 hours ago

Photo: Deputies are looking for the suspects in this Puyallup robbery....

James Lynch

Do you recognize these suspects? PCSD releases video of brazen robbery

A strong-armed, takeover-style robbery shook up a clerk who was working at a gas station in unincorporated Puyallup on August 10.

3 days ago

‘It’s unreal:’ Gunmen shoot-up Burien home, killing woman in her 80s