Detectives are trying to determine whether the clerk was targeted after police said the gunman left without taking anything.
SEATTLE — Police investigating the fatal shooting of a gas station clerk near Seattle Center said the attack does not appear to have been a robbery, leaving detectives to determine whether the victim was deliberately targeted or killed in a random act.
The unanswered question emerged after a man entered a 76 gas station near Broad Street and Denny Way early Tuesday and shot the clerk, according to Seattle police. Investigators said the suspect left on foot and apparently did not take anything from the business. No suspect had been arrested by Tuesday afternoon.
Police were called shortly before 6 a.m. after an unresponsive man was reported inside the store in the 300 block of Broad Street. Officers found the clerk with gunshot wounds, and Seattle Fire Department medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Authorities said the victim was a man in his 30s. His identity had not been publicly released. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is responsible for formally identifying the victim and releasing its findings on the death.
Investigators said the suspect entered the store dressed in all black and approached the counter before the shooting. Police information released Tuesday said he then left the store on foot. Additional information given by police at the scene indicated the man had made a purchase before the attack.
Detective Brian Pritchard said police had not determined whether the shooting was random or targeted. Investigators noted that the suspect apparently took nothing after the gunfire, a detail that led police to say they did not believe robbery was the motive.
Police had not disclosed whether the victim and the suspect knew each other. Authorities also had not identified an argument, confrontation or other event that might explain what happened before the shooting. Determining those circumstances is now a central part of the homicide investigation.
The shooting drew a substantial police response to an area directly across from Seattle Center and the Pacific Science Center and near the Space Needle. Officers secured the property as homicide detectives and crime scene investigators worked inside and around the store. Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles and several senior department officials also responded.
The suspect was described as a heavyset man wearing black clothing. Police said he initially fled on foot, but investigators had not established publicly whether he later used a vehicle. Authorities had not released his name or announced that they had identified him.
The location of the shooting placed the investigation near one of Seattle’s most recognizable public destinations, but police had not reported any broader threat to Seattle Center. The available information indicated the violence occurred inside the gas station minimart.
Homicide detectives remained responsible for determining what led to the shooting and locating the person responsible. As of Tuesday, police had announced no arrest and no confirmed motive.
Author note: Last updated October 13, 2026.