Seattle Police just held a news conference where they said that the murder of Officer Brenton appears to be a case of domestic terrorism, and is directly tied to the 10/22 arson of police vehicles at the Charles St. Depot.
Police have searched the apartment of the suspect shot last night in Tukwila and found rifles, hand guns, and improvised explosive devices. Those bomb materials were disabled by SPD technicians and taken in as evidence, and will be analyzed for similarities to the pipe bombs that were used in the Charles St. arson. Investigators also found printed materials about the 10/22 arson and bomb-making instructions inside the suspect's apartment.
Police believe he was the only participant in the crimes, and is described as loner by people who knew him. But Chief Pugel said that detectives are still investigating video images of the night of the shooting to determine if there could have been other people in the vehicle with the suspect.
Police say that the scene in Tukwila yesterday began with a citizen's tip earlier that morning, which reported that a resident of that Tukwila apartment complex owned a vehicle similar to the Datsun 210 described by police on Thursday. The tip also mentioned that the vehicle had only recently been covered and "didn't seem right."
Detectives checked the vehicle registration and found that a Datsun 210 was registered to that location, filed search warrants, and sent to detectives out to surveil the scene.
Later in the afternoon, the suspect appeared and contact was made by detectives. He was asked a sing question and then he produced a weapon and tried to fire, but the weapon failed to fire a shot. He then ran back towards the apartment building, ran up the stairs, and turned again to fire when he was shot twice by detectives.
In addition to the weapons and explosive devices found at the suspect's apartment, police also mentioned a single piece of evidence recovered at the scene of last week's shooting which led them to believe the attack was planned and possibly connected to the 10/22 arson on Charles St. No details are available yet on that evidence, but it may be discussed in a press conference on Monday.
The motive for the arson and shooting are still not clear. Assistant Chief Pugel said that police found a variety of books in the apartment related to the suspect's studies of criminal justice, but can't say what ideology he held or how that may have influenced his alleged actions.
Police are continuing to ask for the public's help in the case, specifically asking for information from anyone who may know the suspect and who could help shed light on his actions. They're also asking for people who live in the area around the suspect's Tukwila apartment to contact them if they've recently heard any unusual gunshots or explosions. An off-duty firefighter told police that he has responded to reports of explosions in that area, and police say it would be typical for a suspect to test weapons or explosive devices during the planning phase of crimes like this.
Note that we're following our normal policy and are not naming the suspect on CDNews until formal charges are filed. But SPD spokesman Sean Whitcomb told us that they are working closely with King County Prosecutors and charges could be filed very soon.
Update: Here's the full statement released on the SPD blotter:
On the afternoon of November 6th , 2009, Seattle Police Homicide detectives received a tip about a Datsun 210 matching the description of a possible suspect vehicle used in the slaying of Officer Tim Brenton. Detectives responded to a parking lot in the 13700 block of 56th Avenue South in Tukwila. While detectives were investigating the scene further an adult male suspect emerged and pointed a gun at them. Detectives fired on the suspect in self defense, striking him at least once. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. No detectives were injured.
The Tukwila Police Department is handling the crime scene investigation and the King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is conducting the officer-involved shooting investigation.
SPD detectives obtained search warrants to further examine the crime scene. Evidence located inside the suspect’s apartment included improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a rifle, and various other items of evidence. Detectives now believe that this individual is responsible for both the murder of Officer Brenton, the attempted murder of Officer Sweeney, and the arson attack on October 22nd at the Charles Street facility. Detectives are asking the Prosecutor’s Office for formal charges. The Datsun that detectives were looking for is registered to the suspect. Our investigation into the murder of Officer Tim Brenton and attempted murder of Officer Britt Sweeney continues and we are still receiving and following up on tips. We have received numerous tips from the public and we encourage everyone to continue to call us with any information they may have regarding this investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call either 911 , or the tipline at (206) 233-5000. Those wishing to remain annonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a text to CRIMES (274637). Your text message should include “TIP486″ to ensure proper routing. Calls are taken 24 hours a day.
Update x3: Added full video of press conference above
