A gunman opened fire in downtown Seattle on Wednesday
evening following an argument and wounded five people, one man
critically, not far from protests against the surprise victory of
Republican Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential
election.
The shooting did not appear to be connected to the anti-Trump
demonstrations but instead stemmed from a personal argument, said
Robert Merner, assistant chief of the Seattle Police
Department.
"It appears that some type of argument took place. This
individual began to walk away from the crowd, then turned and fired
into the crowd," Merner told reporters.
He said the suspect then fled from the area on foot and remained
at large more than an hour later.
The most seriously injured victim, a man, was rushed to nearby
Harborview Medical Center, where he was listed in critical
condition on Wednesday night.
The other four victims, identified only as one woman and three
men, all sustained non-life threatening wounds to their legs,
police said.
Police and fire crews were on the scene in less than a minute
because they had been in the area to monitor the demonstrations, he
said, but did not arrive in time to engage the suspect.
Thousands of people rallied in cities across the United States
on Wednesday to protest against Trump's win, blasting his
controversial campaign rhetoric against immigrants, Muslims and
other groups.
In Seattle, hundreds of protesters marched through the downtown
streets.
Following the shooting, police closed down the intersection of
Third Avenue and Pine streets, where the shooting took place in
front of a convenience store and a bus stop.