Man shot in back at Seattle's Alki Beach

By KOMO Staff

Summary

Police said the man in his 20s was at the beach with a group of friends when he got into an argument with a group of teens. The argument escalated until one of the teens opened fire, shooting across Alki Avenue Southwest and hitting the man in the back.

Story Published: May 1, 2009 at 9:31 PM PDT

Story Updated: May 1, 2009 at 11:02 PM PDT

Man shot in back at Seattle's Alki Beach
SEATTLE -- A man was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot along Alki Beach in West Seattle Friday evening.

Police said the man and his friends were standing near his vehicle in the 2600 block of Alki Avenue South when a teenage gunman opened fire in front of Pepperdock Restaurant and hit the man in the back around 7:30.

"I heard like, 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!'" said witness Lucas Bigliardi. "Sounded like firecrackers."

The gunman, as well as the group of teens he was with at the time, fled on foot.

The victim's friends were rushing him to the hospital when police pulled them over at 1600 Harbor Avenue Southwest and called an ambulance. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center. His name and condition are not known.

With the help of K-9 units, police tried to track down the suspects but could not find them. A description of the suspects was not available.

It is not known what prompted the shooting. Investigators do not know whether there was some sort of confrontation that preceded it.

Detectives from the Seattle Gang Unit, the Homicide Unit and the Crime Scene Investigation Unit are investigating, and questioning the victim's friends.