West Seattle Shooting Leaves Track Club Traumatized

SEATTLE, WA - A tragic shooting Tuesday night at West Seattle Stadium left one man dead, and has left the members of the Rainier Beach Track Club traumatized.

The 40-year-old track club was in the middle of a meet Tuesday around 7:30 p.m. when shots rang out in the parking lot. A man in his 40s, Lorenzo Marr, was shot multiple times. His two young children - ages 7 and 10 - are members of the team and were there. The shots sent other members of the team running for safety.

The team's long-serving volunteer coach, Vic Roberson, said the kids on the team are scared in the wake of the shooting. The team has about 220 members from all over South Seattle, some as old as 17, but most members are around age 10.

"The kids are still afraid. They're afraid of that location - that location in West Seattle is no longer safe the way it was before," Roberson said.

Roberson left the meet just before the shooting. But his son, Matthew, a track coach and Seattle police officer, was there. He and other adults provided first aid for Marr. Seattle police have said Marr was targeted.

"There is very little suspect or suspect vehicle description to provide at this time," Seattle police Det. Mark Jamieson wrote in a statement about the shooting.

On Wednesday night, the team met at the Rainier Beach Community Center to talk about the shooting. About 90 members of the team were there. Grief counselors and Seattle police attended to comfort them.

Roberson has been a volunteer coach with the team since 1991. Back then, the track at Rainier Beach High School was in poor condition. Coaches would have to clean broken glass and other hazards before practices and meets. Sometimes, gunshots would ring out near the track - but the team has never experienced the kind of violence seen on Tuesday night.

"We've never seen anything this direct before," he said.

The Rainier Beach Track Club was founded about 40 years to provide positive support for South Seattle youth. The club offers kids the opportunity to learn every track and field event except the pole vault. Scores of champion athletes have been members of the club.

Championship University of Oregon sprinter Hannah Cunliffe was on the team. She recently went pro, signing a contract with Adidas. Rainier Beach Track Club Track alums have gone on to compete for Stanford, Grambling, UW, WSU, and many others.

The team takes anyone who wants to do track. One members of the team is developmentally disabled, Roberson said, but he finishes every race, and always runs as hard as he can.

Like witnesses to school shootings, the track team may have to return to West Seattle Stadium at some point. The team uses the stadium frequently for meets, and has two scheduled there on May 12 and 15. Roberson isn't sure if the Saturday meet is going to happen.

"We don't know that yet," he said. "Some said yesterday they don't want to go to that place."

Want to help out? The Rainier Beach Track Club, run by the Seattle Parks Department, is always looking for volunteer coaches. You can contact Roberson via the team Facebook page or at (206) 331-5529.

Image courtesy Rainier Beach Track Club