A man was shot Friday afternoon near the Renton Transit Center, and two suspects were arrested, according to Renton police and the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Police say three people, two 20-year-olds and an 18-year-old, were originally taken in for questioning.
The shooting happened around 3:15 p.m. near Third Street and Burnett Avenue South, near the transit center.
“There was people just running everywhere, trying to get away, because it was loud,” said witness Ashley Jones.
Jones told KIRO 7 she was working when she walked out and found a man, who had been shot, on the ground.
Police say the victim was shot at least five times, in the chest and legs. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.
“He was scared. He was hiding under the bus, because he thought the guy was trying to come after him,” Jones described.
Jones says she stayed by his side until an ambulance arrived.
“I talked to him. I prayed with him, I told him he was gonna be okay,” she said.
According to the Renton Police Department, three people may have left the area by boarding a nearby bus.
Officers followed the bus for about a mile, where the suspects were detained and a firearm was found.
“I believe there’s at least two operators that witnessed the shooting,” said Greg Woodfill, President of ATU Local 587.
Woodfill says these situations are traumatizing for transit workers.
“We’re going to get them all the support they need and make sure that they follow up, but they’re okay now, but okay is relative. Nobody can be okay when they witnessed a shooting,” Woodfill explained.
Woodfill says his drivers are not trained to deal with this type of violence and more needs to be done to keep them and passengers safe.
“Metro can’t solve all society’s problems, King County can’t. We need all the police agencies, all the mayors, all of the city councils. We need everyone. It’s all hands on deck,” he said.
According to police, the shooting happened after a dispute.
Police are unsure if the incident was random or if the people involved knew each other.
The two suspects were arrested and booked on assault charges.
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