Swift emergency medical attention helped save the lives of victims in downtown Seattle shooting



SEATTLE -- The King County Medical Examiner’s office is working to get in touch with the family of the woman killed in a shooting Wednesday near 3rd Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle.

Steven Mitchell, medical director of the emergency department at Harborview Medical Center, said the swift action of his team is one reason why the other victims are alive.

“It’s a time when seconds matter, so all of the systems and personnel are built with that in mind,” said Mitchell, who is also a faculty member of emergency medicine at the University of Washington.

Seven people who were struck by bullets were rushed to Harborview Medical Center Wednesday evening. The victims were caught in the crossfire after a fight broke out in front of a McDonald's.

A Harborview Medical Center spokesperson said that so far, four men ages 21, 34, 35 and 59 were treated and discharged.  Authorities say the 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting.

A 9-year-old boy shot in the leg is recovering in satisfactory condition after a smooth surgery. A 32-year-old man also shot in the leg in satisfactory condition. A 55-year-old woman’s condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. She is in intensive care after being shot in the abdomen.

An Amazon spokesperson said two of their employees were outside of their BlueShift offices atop Macy’s when they were shot and treated by medics on scene before being taken to Harborview.

In a statement, the spokesperson said:

“We are deeply troubled by last night’s events in Seattle and our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy. Two of our employees were injured and both are recovering. We are grateful to police and first responders for acting so quickly.”


Mitchell said his team began preparing for the patients’ arrival before some first responders were even on scene.

“This was an example of our trauma team working very quickly and efficiently to save some people here that if they didn’t have access to this incredible resource that we have may not have done as well as we hoped they were going to do,” said Mitchell.

The emergency medical department director said blood donations were a key factor in helping save the lives of patients.

“We have quite a bit stored literally right outside their room where we take care of most of these patients. And so, it’s vitally important for the community to support that effort. It’s remarkably important,” said Mitchell.

The suspect who was arrested after being discharged from the hospital appeared in court Thursday in a wheelchair. His bail was set for $50,000 and is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 27.

Authorities are still searching for two men, Marquise Tolbert and William Ray Toliver, in connection with the shooting.