Issaquah (Wash.) Police officers fatally shot a man armed with two rifles who fired at officers and pedestrians after entering school grounds during a football game. He had also attempted to break into a vehicle and backhoe.
Prior to the incident, the man abandoned his 2011 Kia sedan in the middle of the roadway at Front Street and Newport Way in downtown Issaquah. Police began receiving 911 calls at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday about a man pointing the rifles menacingly at pedestrians, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
The man walked several blocks, eventually reaching Clark Elementary School at 500 Second Ave. SE. Witnesses saw him trying to break into a parked, unoccupied car in the parking lot of the school. The suspect fired his first shot.
The man, 51, of Maple Valley, also unsuccessfully attempted to get into the cab of a backhoe parked on school property, and fired more shots at witnesses.
As Issaquah officers began converging on the school, the man went into a prone position on a service road on the property. He began firing at officers. Four officers returned fire. The man was hit several times and died at the scene.
At the time of the shooting, there was a football game in progress at the Issiquah High School stadium, which is located near Clark Elementary. No other injuries were reported.
Issaquah patrol officers involved in the incident had received training in active-shooter tactics and response. This training, which evolved out of the Columbine shooting in 1999, emphasizes officer teamwork with the goal of moving directly toward someone firing a weapon to neutralize the threat, said Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers.
