Police: Motives of Issaquah gunman remain a mystery
ISSAQUAH, Wash. - Police said Sunday they are at a loss to explain the motives of a gunman who terrorized the area near Issaquah High School on Saturday by firing two rifles randomly and aiming the weapons at passers-by.
The man was shot several times by responding officers when he opened fire at them, and he died at the scene. He was identified later as a 51-year-old Maple Valley man. His name was not yet released.
No one was else was injured during the bizarre episode - which Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office said was a miracle.
"There were lots of people up there, lots of kids - this could have been a lot worse," he said.
Urquhart said the drama began at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday when Issaquah police were suddenly flooded with 911 calls.
Callers said a man armed with two rifles had abandoned his 2011 Kia sedan in the middle of the roadway at Front Street and Newport Way. The man was pointing the firearms menacingly at pedestrians as he walked.
After several blocks the man ended up at Clark Elementary School, 500 2nd Ave. SE, where witnesses saw him trying to break into a parked, unoccupied car in the parking lot of the school. The first shot was fired by the gunman at this time.
The man then continued onto the school property and tried to get into the cab of a backhoe that was parked at the school. He was not successful and fired more shots.
At about this time, responding Issaquah officers were converging on the school as a police helicopter whirred overhead. The gunman went into a prone position on a service road on the property and began firing at officers.
Four officers returned fire and the man was hit several times. He died at the scene.
At the same time, other officers raced to the stadium at Issaquah High School, located near Clark Elementary, where a football game and track meet were under way.
The officers quickly hustled the spectators and athletes underneath nearby metal bleachers, where they huddled for protection as they drama played out.
"A SWAT team showed up on site, fully loaded, fully geared up, just racing onto the field," said John Rudolph, a coach on the opposing team who was at the junior varsity football game.
Other people on the street fled in panic as they heard gunshots and saw the armed man firing shots.
Witnesses said they heard about 20 shots fired, but police still haven't confirmed how many times the man fired his weapons. A shooting range is located nearby and there was some speculation that witnesses may have heard gunfire from that direction as well.
Lindsey Schumacher, a mother who was walking nearby with her baby, said she heard the shots fired, and started running. She said being there amid the gunfire with a baby was "more scary than anything in the world."
"We were running from guns. That's not supposed to happen in Issaquah," she said.
"It was so close. It was like you didn't really think it could be gunfire right behind you," said another woman who was there, Dawn Hill.
Another woman, Tanya Collins, said she saw the man pointing his weapon at a woman and her son as she was sitting in her car in a parking lot near the high school.
"It was surreal," she said. "He had a very weird look, obviously. ... I had the sense he could shoot me."
The Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit will conduct the investigation, with assistance from detectives from the Bellevue Police Department and a liaison from Issaquah Police.
At this point, detectives said, they have no motive for the shooting. The man's name will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office early next week.
The Issaquah officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard in these situations.
Issaquah Police Chief Ayers said the responding officers had been trained in "active shooter" tactics and response that evolved out of the Columbine shooting in 1999. The training teaches teaches officers teamwork and tactics, with the goal of moving directly to someone firing a weapon to neutralize the threat.
The man was shot several times by responding officers when he opened fire at them, and he died at the scene. He was identified later as a 51-year-old Maple Valley man. His name was not yet released.
No one was else was injured during the bizarre episode - which Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office said was a miracle.
"There were lots of people up there, lots of kids - this could have been a lot worse," he said.
Urquhart said the drama began at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday when Issaquah police were suddenly flooded with 911 calls.
Callers said a man armed with two rifles had abandoned his 2011 Kia sedan in the middle of the roadway at Front Street and Newport Way. The man was pointing the firearms menacingly at pedestrians as he walked.
After several blocks the man ended up at Clark Elementary School, 500 2nd Ave. SE, where witnesses saw him trying to break into a parked, unoccupied car in the parking lot of the school. The first shot was fired by the gunman at this time.
The man then continued onto the school property and tried to get into the cab of a backhoe that was parked at the school. He was not successful and fired more shots.
At about this time, responding Issaquah officers were converging on the school as a police helicopter whirred overhead. The gunman went into a prone position on a service road on the property and began firing at officers.
Four officers returned fire and the man was hit several times. He died at the scene.
At the same time, other officers raced to the stadium at Issaquah High School, located near Clark Elementary, where a football game and track meet were under way.
The officers quickly hustled the spectators and athletes underneath nearby metal bleachers, where they huddled for protection as they drama played out.
"A SWAT team showed up on site, fully loaded, fully geared up, just racing onto the field," said John Rudolph, a coach on the opposing team who was at the junior varsity football game.
Other people on the street fled in panic as they heard gunshots and saw the armed man firing shots.
Witnesses said they heard about 20 shots fired, but police still haven't confirmed how many times the man fired his weapons. A shooting range is located nearby and there was some speculation that witnesses may have heard gunfire from that direction as well.
Lindsey Schumacher, a mother who was walking nearby with her baby, said she heard the shots fired, and started running. She said being there amid the gunfire with a baby was "more scary than anything in the world."
"We were running from guns. That's not supposed to happen in Issaquah," she said.
"It was so close. It was like you didn't really think it could be gunfire right behind you," said another woman who was there, Dawn Hill.
Another woman, Tanya Collins, said she saw the man pointing his weapon at a woman and her son as she was sitting in her car in a parking lot near the high school.
"It was surreal," she said. "He had a very weird look, obviously. ... I had the sense he could shoot me."
The Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit will conduct the investigation, with assistance from detectives from the Bellevue Police Department and a liaison from Issaquah Police.
At this point, detectives said, they have no motive for the shooting. The man's name will be released by the Medical Examiner’s Office early next week.
The Issaquah officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard in these situations.
Issaquah Police Chief Ayers said the responding officers had been trained in "active shooter" tactics and response that evolved out of the Columbine shooting in 1999. The training teaches teaches officers teamwork and tactics, with the goal of moving directly to someone firing a weapon to neutralize the threat.
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