Police release body camera video, 911 call in Columbia City officer-involved shooting

SEATTLE — Investigators have released the body camera video of an officer-involved shooting and the 911 call of a woman involved in an alleged domestic assault by her boyfriend who she said was armed and had taken her baby in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood Wednesday.

“He has a gun. I know he has one. He just shot it in the park … he shot it, OK, we have the call-in, please help.”

The audio recording and video below contain graphic content and may be disturbing for some.

Police said officers were called before 2:15 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a man and woman arguing at Rainier Playfield.

The woman told police the man assaulted her earlier in the day at a home in Des Moines and then later at a hotel, officials said. She also said the man was intoxicated.

The woman reportedly suffered injuries as a result of being assaulted.

The man reportedly beat the mother of his child, forced her into a car and fired shots at her as she tried to escape, officials said. Police said he then took their infant and ran away.

King County’s Guardian One helicopter was deployed. At about 2:50 p.m., police received reports that a man carrying a child had broken into a building under construction a few blocks from the park, officials said.

Police found the man, who was still carrying the 1-year-old near 38th Ave. and South Dakota Street.

The man tried to get away behind an apartment building, but a SWAT officer fired a shot, striking the man while the baby was still in his arms. The baby was not hurt and the man’s gun was recovered nearby, investigators said.

Authorities said CPR was performed on the man who was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.

The officer who fired the shot has been identified as N. Zech and has 15 years of service with the Seattle Police Department, officials said. He was placed on paid administrative leave, per the department policy.

The shooting remains under investigation.

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