One police officer was fatally shot and another was wounded after a traffic stop turned into a car chase in Washington state Monday night, according to authorities.
Capt. Mike Johnson of the Bothell Police Department confirmed the fatal shooting during a press conference early on Tuesday. He said the other officer has been hit and is at Harborview [Medical Center] being treated.
“This is uncharted territory for us,” Johnson said, according to the Seattle Times. “This is going to be a rough couple of days for our organization.”
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Johnson added the suspect is still at large and considered "armed and dangerous." He was last seen by a witness holding a handgun.
The incident occurred around 9:40 p.m. in Bothell, Seattle's KIRO-TV reported. The suspect led police on a brief pursuit following the attempted traffic stop, before he got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. A large police presence involving multiple K-9 units, and a helicopter are currently searching the city for the suspect, according to the station.
Streets in downtown Bothell were blocked off by various law enforcement agencies, with a police perimeter expected to continue throughout the night “as long as we believe that there’s viable information that the person could still be in the area,” Johnson said.
He told the public to “stay home, lock your doors, and if you see something, say something," according to the paper.
Fire officials previously wrote that two officers were down after a pursuit in Bothell, with at least one patient transported to an area hospital.
The suspect is described as a Black male with an Afro hairstyle, Johnson said. He was last seen wearing a grey tank top and baggy sweatpants.
In a tweet, Bothell Councilman Mason Thompson said he was "heartbroken" about the incident.
"My prayers are with the officers who have been shot and their families," Thompson said.
Earlier in the night, six people were shot near a Metro bus stop in Kent, located roughly 30 miles south of Bothell. At least five of the victims are currently at the same hospital as the wounded officer, with two in critical condition and three in serious condition. The sixth victim was released from the scene with a minor injury.
The victims are between the ages of 16 to 49 and the incident does not appear to be random, police said.
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"At this time, there are 3 people being detained by Kent PD who are being questioned, it is unknown if they are suspects or their level of involvement," the Kent Police Department wrote on Facebook.
The Associated Press contributed to this report