SEATTLE — One person died and three others were injured after a shootout near Golden Gardens Park in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.
The shootout occurred at 8400 Seaview Place Northwest, according to police. A man in his 40s was declared dead at the scene and a man in his 20s was taken to Harborview Medical Center, according to Seattle Fire.
Two other people fled the scene and were later found at 26th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. According to Seattle Fire, a 50-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were both found injured and taken to Harborview.
Police said the shootout occurred over a stolen vehicle.
Seattle Police won’t release where the vehicle was initially stolen, but the outcome of confronting the suspected thieves led to an exchange of gunfire Thursday afternoon.
The three people who were taken to Harborview were discharged, the hospital said Friday.
No arrests have been made.
Attorney William Kirk said people tracking down their stolen property is a situation he’s seeing with increased frequency, “They then approach the would-be thief, confront them, of course, the would-be thief turns the ire against the car owner. Now it’s violence against the car owner and oftentimes things escalate and get completely out of hand from there.”
“We didn’t hear anything," said Tyler Selig, who works as a pizza chef at a nearby business on Northwest Market Street. "The first thing I saw when I walked out, I just saw a cop with his pistol drawn and he was just kind of looking around the vehicle.”
Northwest Market Street is a main thoroughfare for Ballard locals and business patrons, and the crime scene there led authorities to block off a whole section of the street for hours into the evening.
Pedestrians stopped to question police at the scene and take a peep at the bullet-ridden SUV.
In interviews at the scene with KING 5, Ballard residents and workers said they are fed up with recent crime; some even said they were not surprised the shooting happened.
“It doesn’t surprise me that much with all the news lately," said one man, who preferred not to be identified. "I can think of all the different scenarios, you run through in your mind. I originally thought maybe it was a drug deal gone wrong."
Selig echoed that sentiment, adding, "It seems more and more crime seems to be happening in Ballard specifically."
Michael Schreck, who lives in a residence near the Ballard Locks, expressed frustration with the ways Seattle "has changed" in recent years.
“It sounds like there’s no place that safe, here in Seattle," said Schreck.
Schreck said he was slightly relieved to hear that no shots were fired on Market Street near the National Nordic Museum. Preliminary information indicated there were two shootings, but police later clarified shots were fired at a single location.
Similar situations occurred this year with two public figures. On March 8th, Tacoma Police reported former Supersonic Shawn Kemp was involved in a shooting after tracking his stolen cell phone to the Tacoma Mall. On May 30th a Pierce County Council Candidate shot his gun at a suspected car thief.
“You have the right to choose any reasonable and necessary force to defend or retrieve your property, however, there is no Washington Law that would allow you to use lethal force if you’re only defending property,” said Kirk.
Watch KING 5's top stories playlist: