Fatal shooting investigation on EB 520 in Seattle

Seattle area traffic was heavily snarled Monday morning while an investigation into a fatal shooting on the SR 520 bridge continued over five hours.

Traffic in some areas was nearly brought to a standstill as backups extended from the SR 520 bridge. Many drivers diverted to the I-90 bridge to avoid the traffic, slowing traffic there as well. One lane of eastbound SR 520 was blocked as investigators worked the scene on the right shoulder of the midspan, near Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood. The bridge fully reopened at 10:41 a.m.

Emergency crews responded to the midspan of the SR 520 bridge Monday morning following reports of a woman in the westbound lanes of the SR 520 bridge at 5:10 a.m. She was attempting to flag down cars and even grab onto them, according to Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson.

“Two troopers arrived at the vehicle and observed a male in the driver’s seat who had apparently been shot,” said Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson. “Seattle Fire came and confirmed the individual was deceased. The female was complaining that her hands were hurting possibly, so they took her to Harborview (Medical Center) and Harborview cleared her of any medical issues. She was then taken to our headquarters in Bellevue and interviewed. From what I understand, she was cooperative. Initially she had let the trooper know that she was, at some point in time, inside that vehicle.”

WSP treated the scene as a homicide and will continue to treat the investigation the same, Johnson said. He said that troopers observed a handgun in plain sight, inside the vehicle. Investigators are waiting for a search warrant before accessing the vehicle and inspect the firearm.

“It’s too early to say it was self-inflicted or to say somebody else did this,” Johnson said. “They are just trying to get all the evidence to corroborate one way or the other.”

“We don’t believe there is any danger to the public right now, but with some of the things observed about the vehicle, and the deceased male, we just want to make sure we get all the details we can so we can come to a conclusion about what happened here,” he said.

UPDATE: On the EB SR 520 Bridge just west of Montlake Blvd the right lane is still blocked due to police activity. Traffic is starting to slow down in the area, so expect delays crossing the bridge. pic.twitter.com/EX3KDGpa43

— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) March 25, 2019

Traffic impacted

KIRO Radio Traffic Reporter Chris Sullivan says that the incident caused massive traffic interruptions beyond SR 520.

“It’s having a significant impact on the region,” he said.

Traffic on southbound I-5 barely moved coming in from Northgate. Sullivan reported 40 minute delays coming out of the Lynnwood area.

The I-90 bridge to the south took on heavier traffic with drivers attempting to avoid the snarl on 520.

If you’re traveling from Seattle to Redmond, expect delays this morning due to an incident on the EB SR 520 Bridge (26 min/HOV 26 min). Here’s a look at other travel times:

➡️Everett to Sea: 62/58
➡️Federal Way to Sea: 43/32
➡️Renton to Bellevue: 23/18https://t.co/nxaeDhbptQ pic.twitter.com/3m1JiAVIFW

— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) March 25, 2019

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