SEATTLE — One man was seriously hurt after an argument led to a shooting outside of a Georgetown gas station on Monday evening.
According to Detective Munoz with the Seattle Police Department, officers responded to calls of a shooting at the Chevron gas station on East Marginal Way South at 6:10 p.m.
The store clerk, identified as the victim by Detective Munoz, was in his car in the Chevron parking lot when he saw two people, a man and a woman, reportedly smoking narcotics outside of the store.
The store clerk approached the pair and asked them to leave, at which point a “verbal argument” ensued between the store clerk and the man.
During the argument, the man, who was identified as the suspect by Detective Munoz, threatened that he had a gun. Around the same time, a glass window at the Chevron shattered.
Fearing the involvement of a gun, the store clerk then retreated to his car, arming himself with his gun.
According to SPD, the man then quickly approached the car, prompting the store clerk to shoot the man once in the abdomen.
The man made it across the street to the Jack in the Box parking lot before collapsing.
Officers then arrived and provided aid until Seattle Fire arrived and transported the man to Harborview Medical Center in “serious but stable condition.” SPD said the man’s injuries were not life-threatening at this time, and that he would be detained by SPD pending investigation.
The suspect was not found to have a gun on his person, and the woman reportedly ran from the scene.
SPD reports that the store clerk was cooperative, with both the store clerk’s gun and a shell casing seized by police at the scene.
Police added that it is reasonable to assume the fear of self-defense was the reason for the shooting at this time, and the store clerk was not arrested.
The Homicide and Assault Unit was notified and will likely be investigating further.