Man arrested after seemingly “random” string of shootings in Renton and Seatac

Police followed a trail of violent incidents all occurring within an hour or so.

A 32-year-old man is in custody after multiple shootings and assault that occurred in Renton on Jan. 12.

At 1:22 p.m. on Jan. 12, police received a report that a 76-year-old man was pushed from behind while waiting in line at a grocery store on the 300 block of South 3rd Street. The suspect then reportedly fled the scene. The man was uninjured.

Around the same time, dispatch received reports of a shooting on Rainier Avenue. Officers arrived to find a vehicle that had multiple bullet holes and a shattered driver’s side window. Witnesses said the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle.

The victim of the shooting, a 57-year-old male, was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to Harborview Medical Center where Renton Police report he is in critical condition.

Renton Police said video evidence confirmed the suspect’s vehicle matched the description in both of these seemingly random crimes.

Only 20 minutes later, Renton Police were dispatched to another shooting near the 200 Block of Southwest Grady Way. Officers arrived to find the victim, a 42-year-old employee of the Kia dealership, had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center and reportedly has since been released.

Witness descriptions of the suspect’s vehicle matched the suspected vehicle in the other two incidents.

Less than half-an-hour later, the King County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene of a reported shooting in SeaTac. Descriptions of the suspect’s vehicle matched the suspect vehicle in the other incidents in Renton.

The suspect’s vehicle was tracked to Tacoma, where he was arrested. Renton Police reported that a motive for the crimes has not yet been determined as they appear random, but detectives are still investigating.