‘Chaos, madness’: 1 dead in Bellevue nightclub shooting, Seahawks players present

Police are investigating a shooting inside a club in Bellevue that left one person dead and another injured early Monday morning.

A felony arrest warrant was issued late Monday for the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Ja’mari Alexander-Alan Jones, who could be driving a white Nissan Maxima, WA license plate #AHZ1672.

Police consider him armed and dangerous.

Jones was one of three teens who police say was responsible for the beating death of the “Tuba Man,” a beloved Seattle street musician. Ed McMichael, known for playing his tuba outside Seattle sporting events, was beaten and robbed at a bus stop near Seattle Center in October 2008. He died as a result of his injuries.

At approximately 1:10 a.m. Monday, police officers responded to reports of shots fired inside Munchbar, which is located at 505 Bellevue Way.

More than 600 people were at the club to celebrate the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the San Francisco 49ers. No Seahawks players were involved in the incident, according to a tweet sent by defensive end Greg Scruggs just after 2 a.m. He said he and his teammates were not injured.

“From what we know, our guys were in a separate area and nobody was involved at all,” Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll said at a press conference Monday, calling it a “very grave incident.”

According to a spokesperson with the Bellevue Police Department, the lone victim is a 30-year-old man from Seattle who was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man was rushed to Overlake Medical Center in stable condition. He is being treated for a gunshot wound to the hand, a hospital spokesperson said.

“From what I understand, there were several incidents and altercations that were going on inside the Munchbar that may have led to the shooting,” said Officer Carla Iafrate.

Kimberly Bowley, 24, of Renton, went to Munchbar with a group of friends. She said a fight broke out and a man was pushed on top of her.

“I pushed him off, and then my friend said ‘We need to go,” she told KIRO Radio.

Seconds later, she said she heard five gunshots.

“I saw the gun shots. I saw it all because I was just right there,” she said. “At first everybody just froze, then everybody dropped down to the ground. After we didn’t hear any more bullets people just started getting up, screaming and crying and just booking it towards the door.”

Jack Ballard, 31, of Kirkland, said he went to Munchbar after the Seahawks game to celebrate.

He was on the dance floor when shots were fired.

“They turned the music off and I thought there was just a fight,” he said. “I’m calm, and then chaos ensues. People started running toward the exit and people were getting knocked over and trampled. It was chaos, madness.”

As he exited, Ballard said he saw a man covered in blood.

“I saw the guy laying there and people were surrounding him,” he said. “There was blood splatter all over the floor.”

Aubrey O’Day, a reality TV star and former member of the girl band Danity Kane, tweeted that she was at Munchbar during the shooting.

“Seriously ppl just got shot n front of me. We hit the ground, never been in a situation like this. For real. Seattle, what’s going on?!” she wrote. “Every1 was screaming on the floor, we had to crawl out the kitchen.”

Iafrate said police respond to altercations at Munchbar every weekend and officers frequently patrol the area.

The Bellevue Police Department is asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact their tip line at 425-452-2564 or email pdtipline@bellevuewa.gov. If you have information on the whereabouts of Jones, you are asked to call 911 immediately. The public should not attempt to contact him.