One dead, at least five injured in shooting at Jewish Federation in Seattle

[Wags]

SEATTLE – One person has been killed and at least five others have been injured in a shooting at the Jewish Federation at 2031 Third Ave. in downtown Seattle. One suspect has been taken into custody.
Police took one person into custody and said he surrendered peacefully. Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt said police are confident that only one shooter was involved.


Sources told KING 5 the suspect is a 31-year-old Pakistani man with a criminal background. He is from the Pasco but his citizenship is unknown. Officials are on the way to the Pasco to interview his family.


According to the Seattle Times, a man got through security at the Jewish Federation and told staff members, "I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel," then began shooting, according to Amy Wasser-Simpson, the vice president for planning and community services for the Jewish Federation.




A Harborview Medical Center spokesperson said five women were brought in, and three of them are in critical condition. Two of them are in their 20s. One 43-year-old woman was reportedly shot in the abdomen while another who's 17 weeks pregnant, was shot in the arm. Another person has a knee injury.


The victims have not yet been identified.


You can read the rest of the story here. (http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_072806WABshootingEL.3d89c1.html)

[MattyJames]

Boy...that brings things close to home.

Let all pray for the victums.

Matt James

[Wags]

Suspect in deadly shooting took teen hostage

08:01 PM PDT on Saturday, July 29, 2006

KING5.com and Wire Reports SEATTLE – Seattle police said a man suspected in a fatal shooting rampage hid behind a potted plant at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle's foyer and forced his way through a security door by holding a gun to a 13-year-old girl's head.
Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske said once inside yesterday afternoon, 30-year-old Naveed Afzal Haq opened fire with two semiautomatic pistols. One woman, 58-year-old Pam Waechter of Seattle, was killed at the scene. Five more women were wounded.
Haq was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of homicide and attempted homicide, police said. He is being held on one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder Saturday, with bail set at $50 million.
Haq entered the courtroom wearing handcuffs, chains and leg shackles, and a white jail jumpsuit that labeled him an "ultra security inmate."
Before entering the courtroom, Haq requested through a public defender that he be allowed to not personally attend the hearing, or for him to not be photographed or videotaped. District Judge Barbara L. Linde denied both requests.
Haq briefly glanced at rows of news media in the gallery on his way into the courtroom but otherwise showed no outward emotion. He still has not been charged.

Police stopped suspect shortly before shooting
Kerlikowske said Haq was stopped a half hour before the incident and given a traffic ticket nearby for driving along the bus route.
He got in the building that has bulletproof glass and buzzers by hiding behind a plant and waiting for a person who had access to the building, which was a13-year-old girl. Once inside he began firing at people and told them not to call 911.
A young, pregnant woman who was wounded in the arm crawled back to her office and called 911. The suspect then saw her on the phone and although he told her not to talk she was able to get him to take the telephone.
“I was stunned by her level of calmness and coolness,” Kerlikowske said. “He was so enraged at first.”
Haq said he wanted the United States to leave Iraq and blamed Jewish people for all his problems.
Kerlikowske said he was armed with .40 caliber and .45 caliber semi-automatic guns purchased at two different gun shops in the Tri-Cities. He went through waiting period to obtain guns.
Haq previously lived in Pasco, one of southeast Washington's Tri-Cities, police said.
Haq, who reportedly declared he was a Muslim angry at Israel before opening fire, was the quiet loner in a well-known family, a member of his parents' Mosque said.
Yousef Shehadeb, 46, a member of the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities, said Haq's family is well-known in southeastern Washington's small Muslim community.
"I can't even describe how horrible everyone in the community feels. Shock, disbelief," Shehadeb said.
Shehadeb recalled Haq as quiet and something of a loner. Shehadeb said he and Haq's father, Mian Haq, both work at the Hanford nuclear reservation, as do many members of the area's Muslim community.
Mian Haq was listed in the facility's directory, but it was not clear what type of work he did. All workers at Hanford must have federal security clearance, which includes a background check.
Shehadeb hadn't called the Haqs, he said, because "I didn't know what to say."
In a statement, the Islamic Center offered condolences to the shooting victims and said "we disassociate this act from our Islamic teachings and beliefs."
Haq had an apartment in Kennewick, one of southeast Washington's Tri-Cities, police said. The Seattle Times reported Haq had lived most recently in Everett, north of Seattle.
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/M_IMAGE.10cb72f0afd.93.88.f8.2b.47fdc92.jpg Courtesy of The Seattle Times
Naveed Haq's senior high school photo

The Richland bomb squad carefully entered Haq's Kennewick apartment early Saturday, tying cords to drawer pulls and yanking them from outside in case the drawers were booby trapped. Captain Mike Cobb says there were no devices found, and they had no information to believe they would find any.
Cobb said there were no signs of political writings or posters on the walls. There was very little furniture at all, no bed, just a mattress on the floor. Cobb summed it up, saying he lived better in his freshman dorm in college.
Haq's neighbors awakened by the overnight raid say he was quiet and kept to himself.
Haq's apartment is a far cry from the sprawling new home of his parents which is on the outskirts of Pasco. Agents were at the family home, and were seen pulling out boxes of evidence.

The victims
Fifty-eight-year-old Pam Waechter was killed at the scene. She died of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk, the King County Medical Examiner said.
Friends said she had lived in Seattle about 30 years. She was not born Jewish but converted to Judaism when she married a Jewish man. They were later divorced and had two grown children, Nicole, 35; and Mark, 32. She was active in charity programs and in the Temple B'nai Torah congregation in Bellevue, which was at worship Saturday morning.
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/M_IMAGE.10cb72f0afd.93.88.f8.2b.5287503.jpg Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
Pam Waechter was the annual campaign director of the Jewish Federation.

Three of the women shot in the abdomen with a large caliber handgun have been upgraded from critical condition to serious, according to Harborview Medical Center. Two others are in satisfactory condition Saturday morning: a 37-year-old woman, 22 weeks pregnant, who had been shot in the forearm; and another woman who was shot in the knee.
One of the wounded victims was identified by her mother, Kathryn Bush, as 23-year-old Layla Bush, The Times reported, adding the other wounded were identified as Carol Goldman, Dayna Klein, Christina Rexroad and Cheryl Stumbo.
Stumbo is the federation's marketing director, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said, while Layla Bush is the office manager and receptionist.
FBI spokesman David Gomez said officials believe the suspect acted alone and was not affiliated with a foreign organization.
"Throughout the city, we have directed all our patrol officers to monitor closely all synagogues and other Jewish organizations, and we have also advised neighboring agencies in the Puget Sound area to do the same," said Nick Metz, Seattle Police Department.


Witnesses describe chaos
At 4:03 p.m. Friday police got a 911 call, saying one or two people had been shot.
"He said 'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," said Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a database coordinator for the Jewish center. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."
Witnesses said they heard one shot while the man was on the roof. The man then went back inside and witnesses said they heard several more shots.
Patti Simon was at work at the federation's newspaper on the first floor when she heard screaming, shots and what sounded like furniture crashing on the floor above.
"We heard this horrible screaming on the floor above us and shots," said Simon, 52, who sells advertising at the paper. "We didn't know what was happening."
Simon called up to her co-workers on the second floor, but got no answer, so she called the police and fled the building.
"People got shot, some of our co-workers," Simon said, her voice shaking. "I just got back from Israel and made it out of there a half hour before the rockets started."

Kerlikowske said the shooting will be treated as a homicide and a hate crime.

Groups condemn violence The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle says on its Web site that its mission is to "ensure Jewish survival and enhance the quality of Jewish life locally, in Israel and worldwide."
This past Sunday at Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island, thousands of people rallied in support of Israel's right to defend itself. More than 40 community organizations stepped forward to sponsor and support the event.
When told witnesses heard the suspect say he was angry at Israel, Iantha Sidell, past chairperson of the Jewish Federation Center, called the shootings a hate crime. She said: "We believe in life and it's hard to believe there will ever be peace when you're dealing with people who don't value life."
Various sources recently cautioned temples and Jewish organizations to be on alert for dangerous activity, especially with the current Mideast violence and the coming of the Sabbath.
Several groups issued statements of support:


Pakistan Association of Greater Seattle
"Pakistan Association of Greater Seattle and the Pakistani American community strongly condemn this violence against the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. This cowardly act of the individual saddens our community. Our heart goes out to the victims and their grieving families. The Pakistan Association will continue to work with interfaith organizations to faster peace and harmony in our communities."


Robin Boehler, Chair - Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
"Our hearts go out to all of the families affected by today's horrific act and we grieve with them.
"On behalf of all the members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, I express our collective shock and dismay over the attack that has left five of our colleagues wounded and to share our extraordinary sadness for the loss of one of our colleagues.
"These are women who were hard at work this afternoon in service to not only the Jewish community but all of metropolitan Seattle. We are proud of their philanthropic work to help those among us in need.
"We are tremendously grateful for the swift and professional conduct of the Seattle Police Department, Emergency Services, Fire Department, and the staff at Harborview Medical Center that is doing all it can at this very moment to care for our colleagues.
"Seattle has tragically joined the fraternity of cities targeted by such a hate crime and we urge all Jewish institutions to remain alert. Please join us as we pray for the victims of today's attack and their families."

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
"This is a terrible tragedy for all of the victims and their families. Our prayers are with them today. We don't know the exact reason, but it appears that it was purposeful. This is a community that prides itself on being a safe place to live and work. We will come together for these families and help them through this terrible situation. In the meantime, the Seattle Police Department will be providing added security to all Synagogues and Temples in the city until further notice."

Rev. Sanford Brown, Church Council of Greater Seattle Executive Director
"This is a senseless and immoral action in which a sick individual targeted innocent people," said Brown. "There is no justification for this violence against the Jewish Federation, no matter the situation in Israel and Lebanon. This crime is an evil act planned by a twisted mind. The Church Council extends its very deepest sympathy to the victims of this violence. We grieve for the families of the injured and dead. We pray that there will be an end to violence against Jews all over the world... Seattle is a place of interfaith understanding and cooperation. This incident does not reflect the kind of understanding and harmony that we have come to expect here. It will take many years for our interfaith work to overcome this tragedy."
The Church Council of Greater Seattle represents 419 Christian congregations in 17 denominations. It frequently partners with Jewish and Muslim groups to promote unity and cooperation among faith groups.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
"I am shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless violence of yesterday's shooting. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. It is a tragedy for all of Seattle that such a hate crime could take place. With the ongoing Middle East crisis, we need to work together to find ways to end violence and live with one another in peace both around the world and here in our own communities."

Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-08)
"The services the Jewish Federation provides ensure the continued good health, prosperity and peace of our entire community in Seattle and the Northwest. The Jewish Federation serves not only the Jewish community, but all of us. Their contributions are selfless, substantial and unique. I am grateful to them for their work and am honored to support them as a Member of Congress. It is a tremendous tragedy that those in our community who work to better the lives of others have become the target of deadly violence today.
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and by this attack. Our community was attacked by someone wishing to wreak havoc and violence among good and peaceful citizens, causing the loss of one life and leaving many people injured. On Sunday, I attended a rally with thousands of Israel's supporters that the Jewish Federation sponsored. We stood together in support of Israel and its quest for peace. I stand with them today in their sorrow and grief. I pray for the speedy healing of the wounded, peace for the victims, their families and for all of us affected by today's senseless violence."

[plum]

:cry:

I'm so scared of the racial backlash that could continue... and this senseless violence is just so... grieving

[Yehoshua]

Is there a place in this world where the Jew is safe? Antarctica? Oh I'm sure there would be a huge outcry. "The penguins were there first!" What a sick and vile world.