November 23, 2008
Two Gunned Down in Seattle-Area Mall
One man is dead and another is wounded in what may be a gang-related confrontation:
Shots erupted in a packed Seattle-area shopping mall Saturday after an apparent argument between a gunman and two other young men, killing one of the men, creating panic among shoppers and sending police on a store-to-store search for the shooter, authorities said.The Southcenter Mall in Tukwila was locked down for six hours as police tried in vain to find the gunman. Officer Mike Murphy, a police spokesman, told The Associated Press there were "thousands" of shoppers at the mall when the shooting took place just before 3:45 p.m. He said the gunfire may have been gang-related.
"It's a possibility," Murphy said.
The two injured men were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where one of them died. A hospital spokesman said Saturday night the second victim was in critical condition.
The gunman used a pistol and fired multiple shots, Murphy said. He said at least four or five people were detained for questioning, but none of them was the shooter and some had been released. He said some of those detained were witnesses.
My advice remains the same as it was after the Omaha, Nebraska Mall shooting roughly this same time last year.
The odds of getting shot in a mall shooting are extremely low, but you can reduce those odds even further by being in a self-aware, ready state (yellow, for Jeff Cooper disciples) and take these common sense steps if you hear or see a similar violent situation developing. There's no need to be paranoid, but after so many events like this in recent years, it is immature to pretend that such events can't happen.
These events can and will happen, the BEST thing to do is carry a gun yourself. Concealed Weapons Permits is the only self-defense against a person who is capable of firing shots in a public mall.
Posted by: Clay at November 23, 2008 11:05 AMAnti-gun rhetoric in 3...2...
Posted by: ConservativeWanderer (formerly C-C-G) at November 23, 2008 03:45 PMThis shooting looks more and more like gang violence. The two that were shot were juvie criminals--one had just gotten out of jail, the other was going in on Monday for trial on a burglary charge. They are still looking for the shooter.
This particular mall appears to have a lot of gang-bangers and related violence occur there. I won't go there any longer--too many scumbags there.
Posted by: iconoclast at November 23, 2008 05:58 PMif you live in a repressive society, such as California, always be aware of where the nearest dry chemical fire extinguisher is......
the powder has a longer reach then pepper spray, and strikes with more force. not only that, but although some people are pepper resistant, *no one* can inhale the powder and function.
besides that, you can whack the bejesus out of them with the canister while they're pawing at their eyes and coughing their lungs out.
Now, exactly, what have increasingly repressive "gun laws" done for us in this situation? To quote a friend: "When seconds are vital, cops are minutes away". Get a gun, learn to use it, get a permit to carry it.....and do so.
Posted by: Tonto (USA) at November 23, 2008 09:46 PMWell, this situation was more of a gang-violence/escalating confrontation scenario. The danger here was getting hit by a stray bullet. The situation might have been made better by an armed citizen, but I don't know about that. If the shooter just walked away without threatening anyone else, I would not have done anything more than call the police. My pistol is for personal defense of my life and other lives. Not going on the offense and doing the job of the police.
The wild rounds problem happened in an earlier Seattle shooting It was Halloween and occurred during a parking lot argument between a young man and a couple. The guy of the couple--a felon, btw--pulled out a gun and shot ~8 times at the single guy. Got him once in the groin...he is doing ok I understand. The dumb s**t managed to shoot his girlfriend in the head and she is, I understand, in a permanent vegetative state.
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Posted by: iconoclast at November 23, 2008 11:33 PMThis particular mall appears to have a lot of gang-bangers and related violence occur there. I won't go there any longer--too many scumbags there.
Posted by: domxoz at November 30, 2008 09:43 AM
