Shots fired near church, car window shattered

Geeky Swedes Ballard

A car came under gunfire early this morning near Ballard’s Philadelphia Church. Officers responded to the scene near the intersection of NW 77th Street and 24th Ave NW just after midnight.  That’s where they found a man and a woman, both 19 years old, inside a car that had been shot up.  The rear window of the car was shattered, there was a bullet hole in the driver’s side headrest, and there appeared to be bullet holes in the rear bumper.  The male driver was hit in the shoulder but the bullet did not penetrate the skin.


Photo of damaged car courtesy of KIRO 7

The couple in the car told police they were driving around the neighborhood when they were confronted by two men, one wearing a black sweatshirt– the other a gray sweatshirt, in a gray Mazda.  During this confrontation, they say the men got out of the car and pointed a handgun at them.  The victims tried to get away by driving down side streets, but the suspects found the victims again and began “ramming” their car.  The victim driver was able to turn his car around and drive off, but not before 3 shots were fired by the suspects. 

Police could not find any damage to indicate the “ramming.”  As officers were investigating the scene, they noticed a dark colored car drive off with two people inside.  Officers were able to follow the vehicle and saw that the occupants matched the descriptions of the suspects.  One of the victims positively identified the men as the ones responsible for shooting at them.  The suspects were arrested and taken to the North Precinct, but told officers they were only driving by when they saw all the activity and decided to take a look.

Here’s where the story takes an unexpected turn.  While giving a statement to police, the 19 year old female victim asked officers to get her the cigarettes from the car that had been shot up.  That’s when police say they saw a small baggie of suspected cocaine inside the cigarette pack where she had been sitting.  The woman was then placed under arrest for investigation of drugs.  Police say the male driver and female passenger couldn’t answer the basic questions posed to them.  Officers did not find any weapon on the suspects or in their car.  The two suspects were interviewed and released.  The female passenger from the victims’ car was booked into the King County Jail.

Thanks to KIRO 7 for use of the photo from the scene.  You can read their story here.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

44 thoughts to “Shots fired near church, car window shattered”

  1. Sounds like a drug transaction gone bad. I bet money that the suspects and victims had some prior contact or transactions with each other.

  3. “unexpected turn”?
    ha!

    I would’ve bet money that the two ‘victims’ were part of some shady deal gone wrong. nobody is pursued like that for no reason.

    too bad she was jonesin’ for a smoke so badly, that she gave up her cocaine stash. not too bright.

  7. Ballard really isn’t that ghetto, if ghetto at all. Has anybody who claims Ballard is becoming “so ghetto” actually been to the ghetto before?

  10. “The woman was then placed under arrest for investigation drugs.”

    Proper English is proper.

    Also, Ballard is turning sketch. First the bums, now the blow.

    ROX N BLO ROX N BLO

  15. Drugs and ghetto behavior is in EVERY town… it’s just that some folks are stupid enough to display their idiotic behaviors and drug use in public.

  16. Drugs and ghetto behavior is in EVERY town… it’s just that some folks are stupid enough to display their idiotic behaviors and drug use in public.

  17. If the cops checked their cell phones I’d bet they’d see that they had called each other about an hour before this whole thing happened.

  20. that’s messed up, 19 year olds shouldn’t be doing coke and getting shot at, they should be doing meth and shooting 16 ear olds.

  22. i know both of the people in the white mazda. it wasn’t a drug deal gone wrong. you people are very quick to judge, but it was road rage that lead to the shooting. the cocaine is unrelated. while it was a terrible choice, im just glad my friends survived.

  24. Gee, maybe they were just joking…..

    The closest thing we have to ‘homeboys’ around here are dumb, old Ballard, white kids dressed up as gang bangers driving down back streets it souped up Cameros at 40 mph….some day they may be lucky to get jobs at a Jiffy Lube.

  26. I’m over by 32nd and 77th and heard the shots and a small car accelerating and called 911. It was very loud and clear; they sounded like they were right in front of my house. The sound really travels. It was clearly gunfire.

    I’m surprised there weren’t more comments from people hearing it. But it was just after midnight.

  27. i live right down the street from the church and heard the shots late at night. it’s clear the crime in ballard is getting worse, i think more community crime watch is the answer. if we work together the bamf can be brought to justice.

  31. I love how a story about a shooting in the heart of Ballard gets 27 comments (28 now) but open a boutique on Ballard Ave using a nautical theme and people go ballistic…..apparently Old Ballard has no problem with their scummy kids shooting up the place.

  32. oh and the “shooters”..ya they are my buddys, they were on there way home and saw alot of police activity and wanted to check it out. they watched for a little while and became board so they headed home, hey arrived at there house by getting pulled over by a following cop. they were brought to north seattle and released. haha can you say wrong place, wrong time?

  34. i’m really sorry to hear what happened to your friends, one of my friends transformed into a board one time and was never quite the same.

  35. even though your friends have become board they can still be a part of your life! try building them into a bird house or use them as a nice cutting board, don’t abandon them!

  38. my friends became boards a while back and i was devastated. i didn’t want to join the party but i didn’t want to be on the outside. try a support group or talking to a relative. that worked for me. if that doesn’t work you can always visit your friends where ever they were built. take care!

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