Detective shot in Ballard while serving eviction notice; resident found dead

SEATTLE — A detective with the King County Sheriff’s Office was shot Monday morning while serving an eviction notice in Ballard, according to the King County Independent Force Investigation Team.

Just before 9:30 a.m., three KCSO detectives were serving an eviction notice at an apartment when gunfire was exchanged in the 800 block of Northwest 54th Street, just west of the Woodland Park Zoo.

At some point, two deputies either opened or returned fire, according to the KCIFIT. The deputy who was wounded did not fire his weapon.

A deputy, who has been with the King County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years, was shot in the “upper torso.”

The detective who was shot was wearing a ballistic vest.

“All three of the detectives, the deputies, were wearing their ballistic vests as is protocol. The deputy that was injured was shot in the upper torso where the bullet somehow missed the vest and it was an entrance and exit wound,” said KCIFIT Public Information Officer Meeghan Black.

The suspected shooter then retreated back into their apartment and barricaded themselves inside. They were later found dead.

The injured deputy was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and is in critical condition in the intensive care unit, according to an HMC spokesperson.

“From what we were told, he was in fairly good spirits when he got to the hospital,” Black said Monday afternoon.

The subject of the eviction notice is a 29-year-old man. However, police would not confirm if they were the person inside the apartment.

Medics with the Seattle Fire Department were also at the scene.

Due to the police activity, West Woodland Elementary School was in “shelter-in-place,” which means all external doors were locked.

At about 11:45 a.m., the Seattle Police Department said the scene was secure.

The King County Independent Force Investigative Team will lead the investigation into the shooting.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has surveillance footage is asked to contact the Bellevue or Kirkland police departments.

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