Police say Seattle homicide part of large trend targeting Asian residents
Dec 15, 2016, 9:34 PM | Updated: Dec 16, 2016, 5:54 pm
Police are searching the area in South Seattle for a suspected shooter. (Gary Horcher, KIRO 7)
(Gary Horcher, KIRO 7)
Seattle Police say the robbery and shooting death of a 45-year-old woman in South Seattle Thursday night is part of a larger trend targeting Asian residents, according to the Seattle PI.
A woman was killed near 39th Ave. S. and S. Warsaw St. around 8:30 p.m. Witnesses say the suspect approached her and tried to steal her purse. The suspect shot the woman and then fled the area. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition and later died of her injuries. Police searched the area for the suspect, whose description has not been released.
Police are asking anyone with details of the shooting to call 911 immediately. Homicide detectives are looking for surveillance footage and witnesses as they review ballistic evidence.
The PI reports My-Linh Nguyen was married with a 15-year-old son.
Seattle police say Asian residents in the area have been targeted for their jewelry, but now it’s purses and cash, according to the PI. But Thursday night’s robbery was the first time this year it’s ended in a casualty, police said.
Assistant Chief Robert Merner said efforts are underway to place officers in high crime areas and to work officers overtime to reduce violence.
Why Asian residents? Merner said they are known to carry large amounts of cash on them, the PI reported.
The South Precinct has investigated 62 street robbery incidents in the last 4.5 months, according to the PI. Of those, 12 involved firearms, and of the 47 suspects arrested, 24 were juveniles.
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