2 officers injured in Bothell shooting, police on the lookout for armed suspect
Two police officers in Bothell, Washington, were injured on Monday, July 13, night in a shooting, according to fire and hospital officials. The Bothell Fire Department said two police officers were "down" after a pursuit. "Two officers are down after pursuit in Bothell. At least one patient has been transported to an area hospital, conditions are unknown. Additional updates to follow," read the first update from Bothell Fire Department's Twitter handle.
One of the officers was taken to Harborview Medical Center and was in satisfactory condition, according to Bothell Department spokesperson Nicole Strachila. Information about the other officer was not immediately available. Details on what led to the incident are yet to be confirmed.
People immediately started responding to the tweet put out by the fire department. One of them provided a new update, "A pedestrian was also hit in the crosswalk and taken to Harborview. He is stable but is very injured. My son was with him, right in the middle of the shoot out. I hope they catch this guy." Another wrote, "What the heck is going on?! Got out of bed to look and there are helicopters with searchlights over my place in Bothell." Prayers and support have been pouring in from all quarters for the injured cops. "Support to our good officers. Prayers for those injured. Thank you for all you do. You are loved," read one comment. "Hearts and prayers are with our officers and their families," read another. While another user wrote, "Praying for all involved. Heartbreaking."
There were also some who responded saying they're not praying for the officers and hope they department gets defunded. "I'm not, I hope they one day they see the errors of their ways and lay down their badges voluntarily, not forcing us to remove them through direct action / defunding through legislation," read a comment. "Just another reason to defund this city too, not just Seattle," read another.
A recent update from Bothell Police went up on their official Twitter page minutes before this reporting. "Police activity in Bothell is an investigation of an officer-involved shooting. The suspect is at large, armed with a handgun, B/M, gray tank top, baggy sweatpants, Afro hairstyle. Multiple K9s still in the area. Call 911 with info" read the tweet.