NE area community centers locked down, evacuated after nearby shooting (UPDATES)

All community centers city-wide were in lockdown today, with Northeast centers later closed and evacuated, after one employee shot another at a north Seattle Parks and Recreation facility.

View Location of N. Seattle Parks and Recreation shooting in a larger map

Via the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

At approximately 1:57 p.m. officers responded to a Seattle Parks and Recreation Department office in the 8000 block of Densmore Avenue North for a 911 report of a man needing medical assistance. Updated 911 calls reported that a man had been shot. Fire department medics responded to the scene and transported the 70-year-old male victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of a life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest.

Screen grab from a Magnolia News story from April 2011. Bill Keller is picture at right. (Click to be taken to the webpage.)

The victim is now known to be 65-year-old Bill Keller, Executive Director of the Associated Recreation Council. The Seattle Times is reporting that he is currently in critical but stable condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Seattle Parks and Recreation employee Carolyn Piksa’s driver’s license photo (five years old; current hairstyle shorter).

The suspect is Parks employee Carolyn Piksa (nickname “Zoom”). Piksa is 46-years-old, with a thin build, 5’7″ tall, 140 pounds, last seen wearing a tan corduroy jacket and jeans. She is an assistant community center coordinator. We’ve learned from KIRO 7 reporter Amy Clancy via twitter that this picture is around five years old, and Piksa’s hairstyle is currently shorter.

Piksa remains at large, possibly driving a blue 2007 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck or a 2013 Ford Flex. If you know her whereabouts, CALL 9-1-1.

…

Locally, the entire Ravenna Blog newsroom was outside at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center playground at the time of the shooting. When the lockdown order came (just before 2 PM), staff came outside to usher everyone into the facility. We stayed inside, away from the windows, until the order came to evacuate (just after 3 PM).

UPDATE (4:25 PM): West Seattle Blog reporting, via twitter, that the suspect’s vehicle (the blue 2007 Chevy Colorado truck) has been found in Burien:

shooting suspect's vehicle found in Burien, per scanner – suspect still on the loose

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 9, 2013

UPDATE (4:50 PM): Seattle Police Department reporting that the suspect is in custody. Headed to the SPD homicide office from Burien’s Boulevard Park area.

Suspect in N Sea shooting now in custody.

— Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) March 9, 2013

Our friends at the West Seattle Blog have been following this story as well, and you can read their coverage here.

UPDATE (5:05 PM): Watched the KIRO 7 news live stream at 5 PM…the Bitter Lake Community Center connection was Piksa showing up and pulling a gun on another employee. No shots fired.

UPDATE (6:31 PM): Information now from the press conference about today’s shooting held in City Hall.

Live now at the Seattle mayors office. Talking about the parks dept worker shooting. http://t.co/bErCgqBece kiro tv7 pic.twitter.com/w2wLj48THs

— Dan King Images (@DanKingImages) March 9, 2013

Mayor McGinn starts. First 911 call comes in at just about 2 PM. Mayor’s office called shortly after. Parks employee, potential “workplace violence” case. Thanking staff of City Hall, SPS, Parks. And Police.

Chief Diaz: Thoughts and prayers to Parks Department employees. Incident began at 1:52 PM. Suspect had access to Parks facilities around the city, hence the city-wide lockdown. Still very early in the investigation. Arrest occurred at 4:49 PM.

McGinn: Thanks to Harborview staff. Keller in stable but serious condition (upgraded from critical). And Fire as well.

Chief Metz: This is all preliminary information. Suspect currently being questioned by detectives.

At 1:52 PM, 911 call comes in from a Parks facility; a medical emergency, and Seattle Fire responds. Person on call later says he was shot (caller thought to be Keller himself). Seattle Police the dispatched. Medics take victim (Keller) to Harborview. No other shots fired.

Same time as officers arrived at the shooting location, another call to 911 comes in 12-15 minutes later. A female Parks employee showed up at Bitter Lake CC. Parks employee at BLCC says a conversation occurred between (the now known to be )suspect and another female Parks employee. A weapon brandished (no details for us at this time), suspect leaves. No shots fired, no physical altercation. Bitter Lake staff calls 911. Officers arrive and debrief staff.

Called a “city-wide emergency” due to the suspect’s access abilities, and community centers across the city are shut down.

SPD intel unit works with phone company to track suspect’s phone to her home, in the Burien area. Intel and SWAT triangulates the area, checks out similar vehicles, does not find the suspect. Moves in on the home, where SWAT uses their PA to call out to the suspect, who comes out of the home, unarmed, and is taken into custody without incident.

Additional information from audience questions: Motive? Too early. Relationship not known at this time (other than both employed by Parks and Rec).

Between 5-7 people were in the office at the time Keller was shot. Not yet known if he was the intended target or not.

More information on the investigation should be available early next week.

Mayor: Parks and Recreation facilities to be open tomorrow, as suspect was arrested.

UPDATE (6:59 PM): And now the press conference video is available: