Police said the victim was a young employee found before opening time.
SEATTLE, Wash. — A young employee was found shot to death Saturday morning inside The Growler Guys on Lake City Way Northeast, prompting a homicide investigation with no arrests announced.
The shooting drew a large police response to the Lake City neighborhood and left the taproom’s owners, workers and customers grieving. Detectives said key questions remained unanswered, including when the shooting happened and whether the victim knew the person who killed him.
Seattle police said employees arrived around 9 a.m. to open the beer garden and restaurant in the 8500 block of Lake City Way Northeast. They found the man dead inside and called authorities. Officers and Seattle Fire Department personnel responded, and medics pronounced him dead at the business. Police said he had fatal gunshot wounds.
Chief Shon Barnes said detectives were treating the case as a homicide and were working inside and around the business. Investigators were collecting evidence and looking into the hours before the victim was found. Police said they had no suspect description to release and had not taken anyone into custody.
The business owner, Kelly Dole, said the employee had worked at The Growler Guys the night before he was found dead. Dole remembered him as cheerful and steady. “He always had a smile; he was so buoyant, you could never get him down,” Dole said.
Friends and family gathered near the scene Saturday as detectives worked. Some stood for hours outside the police tape. Dole said the victim’s group of friends was close and included his son. “They’re about as tight as a group of young men can be,” he said.
The homicide came as Seattle police continued tracking violent crime across the city. Barnes said the killing was Seattle’s 12th homicide of 2026. Police said residents could expect an increased law enforcement presence near the business while detectives continued the investigation.
The victim’s name had not been released by Monday, pending family notification and official identification. Detectives were still working to determine a motive and the exact timeline of the shooting.
Author note: Last updated May 11, 2026.