Today, June 6th, at Noon, everyone is invited to join together for prayer, lament, and worship at the First Free Methodist Church, adjoining the Seattle Pacific University campus. The service will also be streamed live at the Upper Gwinn Commons on the campus. The offices of Seattle Pacific University (SPU) will be closed during the service so that all staff and students can attend – all classes and a scheduled concert at SPU have been cancelled for today as well. See more about SPU on its website.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) blotter has complete, up-to-date information about the shooting that took place in Otto Miller Hall at SPU on Thursday, June 5th. Please read directly about the tragic and disturbing incident on the SPD blotter.
According to an entry by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, a 26-year-old gunman opened fire on June 5th, with police receiving the report at 3:23p. The suspect fired several rounds from a shotgun, hitting three people. When he stopped to reload a student, serving as a building monitor, heroically intervened using pepper spray and then tackling, with others, the gunman to the ground.
SPD reports that four people were transported to Harborview Hospital with injuries, with one dying shortly after his transport. Another, a woman, has critical injuries, while the third victim is in stable condition. A fourth person, another man, was treated for injuries sustained during the struggle with the gunman.
Immediately after the shooting began, SPU staff reacted by implementing an emergency plan previously developed through a partnership between school security and SPD. SPU students and staff were notified to shelter in place to avoid more injuries.
As of 11:30p, on June 5th, SPD detectives have booked Aaron R. Ybarra into King County Jail as the suspected gunman.
For more information on this devastating tragedy, please visit the SPU website or the SPD blotter.