Possible Third Suspect In Double Murder At Skyway Bowling Alley

SKYWAY, WA - Two men are dead after a shootout early Friday morning inside the Skyway Park Bowl bowling alley, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. The shooting happened around 12:45 a.m. at the bowling alley in unincorporated King County along Renton Avenue South. It's unclear if the two men shot each other, or if other suspects were involved.

On Friday afternoon, police said they were investigating a third person seen at the bowling alley as a person of interest.

When sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they found two men in the bar with multiple gunshot wounds. One, a man, age 29, was dead at the scene, the other, age 59, died at Harborview. Witnesses reported hearing at least seven shots, and police found an empty 9mm handgun at the scene.

Matt M. McKnight, a photographer with Crosscut.com, recorded audio at the scene early Friday where police discuss the possibility that a suspect or group of suspects fled the scene. King County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Houck said Friday mid-morning that it was still unclear how the shooting unfolded.

Houck did confirm that one of the victims, who died of a gunshot wound to the head, was found on a patio behind the bowling alley in an area used for smoking.

There was a report of a car accident in the area at the same time as the shooting that police initially thought was connected to the shooting. Several people were arrested related to the accident, Houck said, but those arrests were made on outstanding warrants not related to the shooting.

A member of the West Hill Community Association, which held a fundraiser at Skyway Park Bowl earlier this year, posted a video of the scene outside the bowling alley early Friday morning. The building is shared with the Lucky Dragonz casino and a Vietnamese restaurant called Baxi.

On Friday morning, the bowling alley was taped off, and at one point police appeared to be inspecting a purple motorcycle parked out front. Police have said that bystanders reported the shooting was coming from the bar area of the bowling alley. Skyway Park Bowl has two bar areas: one in the main bowling alley, and another separate from the bowling alley area at the north end of the building.

Skyway Park Bowl is at the core of one of Skyway's two main business districts. The bowling alley is adjacent to a Grocery Outlet, several gas stations, and the Roman Casino.

The bowling alley area was open for business Friday night and was planning to host viewers of the Seahawks preseason game. The area of the building where the shooting occurred, however, remained closed.

Image via Shutterstock