SPD: Man shot 3 times while defending family from robbery suspects in South Seattle

Police investigate after victim was shot in the leg

The Seattle Police Department is investigating after someone was reportedly shot in the leg in South Seattle on Wednesday.

SEATTLE - A man is recovering after being shot three times during an attempted robbery in South Seattle on Tuesday. An investigation is underway as police search for the suspects.

According to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), at 11:09 p.m., officers responded to the scene of a shooting near the corner of Rainier Ave. S and S. Thistle St. This area is right next to King County Airport in the Dunlap neighborhood.

When police arrived, they found the 30-year-old victim outside his residence with a gunshot wound in each leg, and a third in his foot.

Authorities say the victim was able to put a tourniquet around one of his legs by himself. When first responders arrived, they provided additional first aid, and took him to Harborview Medical Center.

The victim told officers that he had just arrived home with his wife and two kids before the shooting. When he got out of the car to unload the kids from the backseat, two suspects approached the family – demanding their belongings at gunpoint.

The suspects did not fire any shots until the 30-year-old victim pulled out his own handgun. He told police that while he was shooting back at the suspects, he moved away from the car in an attempt to draw the gunfire away from his wife and kids.

The victim’s family was unharmed.

Authorities say the suspects fled the scene, driving away in two separate cars.

The SPD’s Robbery Detectives will lead the investigation.

This is a developing story.

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