Three masked men burst into an apartment in Pacific early Sunday and opened fire, hitting one victim. Now the hunt is on for the brazen home invaders.
The home invasion happened just after 3 a.m. at the Cobble Court apartments on Pacific Avenue near Ellingson Road in Pacific. One man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. That man was identified as 31-year-old Ronald Gray. He left the scene in critical condition.
Beginning at 4:30 a.m. on KIRO 7 News, reporter Rob Munoz looks at what police are doing in their crime lab right now to determine who fired the shots.
The suspects left behind a mess of broken glass. Their crime jolted those who live nearby.
"It sounded like pistols just being fired, one by one," said Oscar Pelayo, who lives two doors down.
The sound woke him up.
"And then shortly after, I heard screaming," he said. "And I think the girl was saying, 'Help, he's dying.'"
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Investigators say the shooting activated the small police agencies' major crimes task force.
"There were several people here in the residence that resided here," said Cmdr. Larry Colagiovanni, from Black Diamond. "There was some gunfire exchanged. Honestly, preliminary information, not sure if the victim shot at the suspects or the suspects shot at the victims or both."
Colagiovanni says the Washington State Patrol crime lab will help determine who fired, which entrance the crooks broke into, and if the person living here was the only one hurt.
"We don't know if the suspects were hit. They fled the scene on foot," Colagiovanni said.
Gun violence has happened here before. Back in May 2012, a 13-year-old was shot and killed by his sister's estranged boyfriend inside his Cobble Court apartment.
"I'm trying to think where in the complex it was," said Katrina Scheidegger, who was living at the complex then. "But it was away from us."
Still, Scheidegger says that homicide did come to mind.
"It's definitely scary," Scheidegger said, "especially when it's that close. So it's definitely kind of scary to learn now, especially when you have kids."
Pacific police say they want to hear from anyone who has information about what happened here overnight. Their office will be closed until tomorrow so they ask that you call 911.
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