One dead in shooting at Jewish center

(CNN) — One person was killed and five others were wounded, three critically, in a shooting at the Jewish Federation in downtown Seattle, Washington, police said.

Police have detained a suspect who is of Pakistani descent, said a law enforcement official.

Authorities do not believe the suspect was affiliated with any radical political or religious group, said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Gomez.

“We believe, at this point, it’s just a lone individual acting out some kind of antagonism toward this particular organization,” he said.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is helping with the investigation because the attack involved a religious organization, police said.

Several witnesses told The Associated Press they saw a man shoot a woman on a sidewalk near the building.

One witness on the first floor of the building told the AP she heard shots and crashing sounds on the second floor.

Five victims, all women, were taken to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, according to a media line at the hospital. Three victims required surgery for injuries to the knee, groin, abdomen or arm. The hospital listed them in critical condition.

The other two injured women were in satisfactory condition, according to Harborview Medical Center. The hospital said one of the two women is five months pregnant.

While responding Friday afternoon to reports of shots fired being fired at the center, police received a call from a man identifying himself as the gunman who said he was holding people hostage, Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said. An officer “was able to talk him out” of the building, he said.

The suspect “was confronted by officers and peacefully gave up,” said Assistant Police Chief Nick Metz.”

Needless to say I am quite concerned about this. The AP is reporting the following:

“Staff members said they overheard him saying “‘I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,’ before opening fire on everyone,” Meislin-Dietrich said. “He was randomly shooting at everyone.”

Police would not confirm the account.”

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