AUBURN, Wash. — An Auburn man is recovering after being ambushed and shot while leaving his church.
It happened Wednesday just before 9 p.m. outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auburn.
KIRO 7 spoke with Clynn Wilkinson’s family, who say he was locking up for the night when two armed suspects approached him.
“They told my husband to hand over the f-ing keys a couple times and he said he didn’t have them,” said Wilkinson’s wife, Lisa.
Lisa said the suspects had knocked her husband to the ground.
“Pushed him down and they were kicking him and hitting with their guns and then they shot him while he was down,” she said.
Police say both suspects ran away from the scene.
Wilkinson’s family told KIRO 7 that he was shot twice in the torso.
Police say he managed to walk across the street to 7-Eleven where people helped him call 911.
“He’s very determined. I don’t know what the option would’ve been like if he couldn’t. That’s the only way for him to really get some help,” Lisa said.
He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.
Wilkinson’s kids say they were scared to find out what happened. They’re just glad their dad survived the shooting.
“I’m glad I get to be here with my dad and see him recovering well,” said Emilia Moreno, Wilkinson’s daughter.
“He is very resilient. He’s very resilient like my mother said and so he’s making jokes, he’s alright,” said his son, Clynn Wilkinson III.
The Wilkinsons believe violence is getting out of hand in Auburn and are calling on the city for more consequences for criminals.
“It’s getting worse and it’s very clear. It’s not hiding. It’s out in the open,” Clynn added.
If you have information about the shooting, you’re asked to call the Auburn PD tip line at 253-288-7403.