3 killed in shooting at South Seattle hookah lounge identified

SEATTLE — Three people were killed and six others were injured after a shooting over the weekend in South Seattle.

Police said they arrived at a hookah lounge in the 2200 block of Rainier Avenue South after hearing reports of gunshots around 4:30 a.m.

This is not the first time a shooting has happened at or near this business.

“I am aware of an incident of shots fired, that occurred the night before outside the establishment but on that same block,” said police chief Adrian Diaz during a press conference. “But I don’t know if it is related to the actual hookah lounge.”

When they got there, officers immediately found a 22-year-old man and a 32-year-old man who had died. A 30-year-old woman with gunshot wounds was then found and taken to Harborview before dying in the ICU. One more 22-year-old victim was driven to Harborview Medical Center by an ambulance after he was also shot.

The victims, identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, are Jonathan Bishu, 22, Trevis Bellard, 32, and Nadia Kassa, 30. All three died of multiple gunshot wounds. Their deaths are being investigated as homicides.

Once police were at the hookah lounge, they began getting reports of more victims arriving at various hospitals. A 38-year-old man, a 21-year-old man, and a 25-year-old man had all driven themselves to Harborview after being injured during the shooting. A 23-year-old man drove himself to Virginia Mason after being shot and was then transferred to Harborview in critical condition.

Five guns were found at the scene. Police say that this incident is part of a recent pattern where more guns are turning up in shootings.

“The growing concern is how many guns are being fired in these cases”, said Diaz “People pulling out and having a disregard for life, we have the Capitol Hill case, the Rainer Beach Safeway incident, and now we have this.”

Police believe that this shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the surrounding community..

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