Mayor: Seattle 'will not rest' until officer's killer found
"All resources will be used, no matter what it takes, to bring this person to justice," Seattle Police Interim Chief John Diaz said Sunday afternoon.
The fallen officer, identified as Timothy Brenton, a field-training officer, was shot to death Saturday night as he and a student officer were sitting inside their patrol car in the city's Central District neighborhood.
The student officer, who was fresh from the police academy and undergoing training, was grazed by the gunfire but is expected to survive, said Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel. She was identified as Britt Sweeney.
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. Someone then opened fire on the officers through the patrol car's passenger window, police said.
 Mourners pay their respects at a sidewalk memorial to fallen Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton. (SEATTLEPI.COM photo by Braden VanDragt) |
Brenton, 39, is a resident of Marysville and a nine-year veteran of the department assigned to the East Precinct Anti-Crime team, sources said. He is survived by a wife, an 11-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.
Sweeney, 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.
Pugel said it was a "miracle" that she made it through the ordeal alive.
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.
Sweeney 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 – searching for the shooter.
"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 - possibly light blue or light silver - 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.
Pugel said detectives are reviewing the patrol car's dash cam to see if it can shed light on the crime and help catch the killer.
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said all flags in the city will be lowered to half-mast until the fallen officer's funeral.
"Our community is in shock at this brutal and senseless crime," he said. "Let us be clear - we will not rest until the assailant is brought to justice."
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 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.
