Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
The 24-year-old shot dead at an E John bus stop early Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill has been identified but few details have been publicly released in the shooting as authorities complete their investigation and weigh any charges in the case.
The King County Medical Examiner’s office says the 24-year-old has been identified as Jayson Williams. Williams died early Tuesday after being shot in reported self defense during an attempted armed robbery at 10th and John.
Investigators say Williams died of multiple gunshot wounds. Arriving officers reported the 24-year-old down and shot in the stomach, according to East Precinct radio reports from the night. He was pronounced dead by the time he was taken to Harborview by Seattle Fire. A second male involved in the alleged stick-up reportedly fled on foot and was not injured by the gunfire.
Police have not publicly identified the 39-year-old. Police say the man told officers Williams was attempting to rob him and his partner when he opened fire in the 1:15 AM incident. According to police radio updates, the partner of the man who shot Williams called 911 following the shooting and said they had been held up at gunpoint. Police have not said if a second firearm was recovered at the scene. UPDATE: A person with knowledge of the investigation says a second gun was recovered at the scene.
Witnesses said Williams was Black and the man who shot and killed him is white.
A Seattle Police Department spokesperson said the department will provide details of its investigation and possible criminal charges to the King County Prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors will decide whether any charges will be filed. A spokesperson for the prosecutor said the case had not been sent to the office for a charging decision as of Thursday night.
There were few details immediately available about Williams who did not appear to have criminal convictions in the city or state. A Jayson Williams with matching age was booked in June for assault and obstruction in a domestic violence case but no charges were filed. Because of privacy restrictions around domestic violence, there was no public information immediately available about the case.
Some witnesses at the shooting scene expressed concern about how long it took for Seattle Fire to be able to provide aid to Williams who was not transported to Harborview until about 25 minutes after police arrived.
A Seattle Fire spokesperson said it is “procedure to wait for the scene to be secured by law enforcement before responding in” but there was little to no delay due to that process. According to SFD records, the Fire Alarm Center received a call reporting the shooting at 1:13 AM and units arrived at the scene by 1:18 AM. Seattle Fire says SPD gave the go ahead to enter the shooting scene a minute earlier and that Williams was prepared for transport to Harborview by 1:37 AM. UPDATE: We have clarified SFD’s arrival time as 1:18 AM and updated this description.
“While we can’t provide specifics about treatment provided due to patient privacy, we can tell you that when patients are in critical condition they often need to be stabilized at the scene prior to transport,” the SFD spokesperson said. “Transporting a patient while they are still unstable can cause more harm than good. Additionally, medics are trained to perform various life-saving procedures for patients prior to transport (which cannot all be done during transport). Spending 20 minutes at the scene to treat a patient prior to transport is not uncommon.”