Hunt is on for Seattle police officer's killer

SEATTLE - Responding with grim determination to the "deliberate homicide" of a Seattle police officer, all available investigators on the force went in search of the gunman Sunday.

The fallen officer, who was training a young student officer fresh from the academy, was shot to death Saturday night as he and the student officer were sitting inside their patrol car in the city's Central District neighborhood.

The student officer was grazed by the gunfire but is expected to survive, said Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel.

The officers' patrol car was parked near the intersection of 29th Avenue and East Yesler Way just after 10 p.m. when a light-colored sedan pulled up alongside and someone opened fire on the officers, police said.

An impromptu memorial for the fallen officer has appeared on the sidewalk near the shooting.

The training officer, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was hit several times and died at the scene. His name has not been released. He is a longtime veteran of the department, Pugel said.

The student officer, who was in the driver's seat, received minor injuries. She was able to get out of the patrol car, return fire several times at the shooter's fleeing vehicle, and call for additional units.

Officers from all precincts responded, as well as homicide detectives and the crime scene investigations unit. Officers scoured the neighborhood for the gunman, but no arrests were made.

The student officer was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she is expected to recover.

A man who lived nearby said he heard eight to ten shots fired, then another volley of about six shots.

The witness said the shots came in rapid-fire succession, like an automatic or semi-automatic weapon. But investigators said they haven't yet disclosed what type of firearm was used.

Pugel called the act a "deliberate homicide" and vowed to hunt down whoever is responsible. He said police are maintaining a heavy presence – inside and outside of Seattle – hunting down the shooter.

"The officers are very upset. This is highly unusual. This is an attack, not only on police officers, but on society as a whole," he said. "All Seattle police units that can assist are investigating now."

Investigators were at the scene all night collecting evidence, and a procession of fellow officers in patrol cars followed as the fallen officer's body was driven to the King County Medical Examiner's office just before 3 a.m.

Police are looking for a car described as a light-colored sedan that drove away from the shooting scene, but no detailed description of the vehicle or suspected shooter was available.

Police aren't sure if the shooter's car was hit by the student officer as she returned fire.

Following the shooting Saturday, some police were told of a man in his mid-20s who had been booked into King County Jail for investigation of threats. He was released on bail about 6:45 p.m. Saturday, according to jail records.

Asked about the man, Pugel said officers are looking at several potential suspects, "but we don't have anyone specifically identified at this time."

The killing is the first line-of-duty death for the department since Officer Joselito Barber was fatally injured in a 2006 crash by a woman who police said was high on cocaine.

And it is the first fatal shooting of a Seattle police officer since June 4, 1994, when Officer Antonio Terry was shot and killed when he stopped to help what he believed was a disabled motorist on an offramp of Interstate 5 south of downtown. One of those in the car opened fire, mortally wounding the officer.