SPD releases video: Armed man approaches officers, is fatally shot by police in Rainier Valley

Warning: the video contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has released a video, which can be viewed here, of an officer-involved shooting that occurred in the Rainier Valley neighborhood of South Seattle Tuesday.

The man shot by police was seen walking with a handgun near 42nd Avenue S. and S. Othello Street. Officers arrived after a bystander reported the disturbance. The man then approached law enforcement while armed and shirtless. Officers responded by firing at him.

After the man was shot, officers used a 40-millimeter sponge round to disarm him. CPR was performed, but the man did not survive. No officers were injured in the shooting.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is currently acting as an independent investigative team for SPD.

KIRO Newsradio showed the video to former King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who said it appeared the officer had no other option.

“Sometimes there are no good alternatives to a use-of-force situation, and from what I’m seeing, they had no other choice,” Urquhart said. “There’s people out there on the sidewalk, in buildings. You don’t know what he’s going to do. If he doesn’t shoot at them, will he shoot anyone else? They have to eliminate that threat.”

Bystander injured in shooting

A 69-year-old bystander was injured in the shooting due to being hit by shards of glass or bullet fragments, according to Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. He was transported to Harborview with non-life-threatening injuries.

“I was actually just getting back from my lunch break, and I just heard pop, pop, pop, pop, real loud,” Monica, a witness to the incident, told KIRO Newsradio. “And I thought to myself, my goodness, is that just like a really loud truck driving by? I didn’t think anything of it. And then all of a sudden, I just saw all these cars and cops, officers, everybody flooding in and just blocking the road.”

School put in lockdown, light rail temporarily shut down

Salish Sea Elementary was placed in lockdown when the shooting occurred.

A large police presence was at the Othello light rail station for hours after the shooting. That station was temporarily shut down until early Wednesday morning, with Sound Transit providing buses nearby. By 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, all lanes at MLK Jr. Way S. and S. Othello Street had cleared and reopened to traffic.

Detectives investigating Officer Involved Shooting at 42 Ave S / S Othello St. No officers injured. Suspect in custody. More information when available.

— Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) December 2, 2025

This story was originally published on December 3, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio

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