Seattle Man Kills Five People Before Shooting Himself
A man described as "disgruntled" by his own father shot and killed five people in Seattle yesterday, and then killed himself after being tracked down by police. The shootings began on Wednesday morning when Ian Stawicki reportedly opened fire in a coffee shop where he was a frequent customer, killing four patrons. Another man was shot in the jaw, but is expected to survive. About 30 minutes later, Stawicki killed another woman during a carjacking in downtown Seattle. Police launched a city-wide manhunt and he was eventually spotted by a detective, but when police closed in to make an arrest, the suspect shot himself in the head and died instantly.
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Stawicki's family told the media that he was not a happy person and was reportedly acting "kind of crazy" in the morning before the shooting. Neighbors also told KIRO-TV that he was known around the area and was "a bit off". Other than being fellow customers at the coffee shop — where other regulars say he gave off a "bad vibe" — it does not appear that the suspect had any connection to the victims and no motive was given. Police say he had previous charges for domestic violence and unlawfully carrying a weapon dating back to the 1980s, but had never been convicted of any crimes.
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There have been 21 homicides in Seattle this year — including the death of two other random bystanders in the last week — after only 20 murders in each of the last two years.
