Crime Law

Roosevelt shooting suspect may have argued with victims in the past

SEATTLE — A possible motive in the deadly Roosevelt café shootings began to emerge Wednesday night as witnesses told KIRO 7 about previous encounters with the man suspected in the attacks.

One person told KIRO 7’s Deborah Horne that the man had been in a verbal altercation with some of the victims in Wednesday’s shootings in the past and had been kicked out of Café Racer, where the shootings occurred.

A woman said she heard from her friends, who are musicians that live not far from the café, that the man used to walk around the neighborhood in an overcoat and seemed “kind of off.” She said her friends told her he would come into the café in an intense mood and seem very upset about things.

The Seattle Police Department identified the man as Ian Stawicki. Police said he is also suspected of fatally shooting a woman in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, taking her car and abandoning it in West Seattle. That led to a manhunt that lasted several hours and ended when Stawicki shot himself as officers confronted him.

Police said Stawicki is currently receiving treatment at Harborview Medical Center.

KIRO 7 will continue to talk with witnesses and neighbors in the area to learn more.