2012 Seattle cafe shooting spree

Updated on Dec 04, 2023

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Non-fatal injuries 1 Motive Rage Location Seattle		Perpetrator Ian Lee Stawicki Start date May 30, 2012

Weapons .45-caliber Para-Ordnance handgun Deaths 6 (including the perpetrator) Location Seattle, Washington, United States Attack types Spree killer, Murder–suicide Similar 2012 Minneapolis workplac, Capitol Hill massacre, Oikos University shooting, Atlantis Plastics shooting, Binghamton shootings

The 2012 Seattle cafe shooting spree was a series of shooting incidents that occurred on May 30, 2012. The killing spree began with a mass shooting that occurred at Café Racer in Seattle, Washington, resulting in the deaths of four patrons. A fifth person was killed not long after. The shooter was identified as Ian Lee Stawicki, who later committed suicide.

Shootings

On May 30, 2012, just before 11:00 a.m., Stawicki walked into Café Racer in the University District of Seattle, Washington. The staff there recognized him from previously being thrown out, police said, and reminded him of that. Stawicki lingered for a bit, and then walked near the door. He pulled one of his two pistols, both .45-caliber handguns, and shot his first victim in the back of the head. The man's body blocked the door, taking away an escape route. One man fought Stawicki, throwing a bar stool at him and using another bar stool to fight him. The distraction allowed two or three people to escape through the door the shooter had blocked. Stawicki then went near the bar and shot the others execution-style, police say. As he left, Stawicki took a hat from one of the victims. Stawicki killed a total of four patrons at the café and wounded the café's chef.

Half an hour later, he killed another woman in a parking lot next to Town Hall Seattle on First Hill while carjacking her Black Mercedes-Benz SUV. Later that afternoon just before 4:00 p.m., he committed suicide on a sidewalk in West Seattle as police closed in. The perpetrator previously owned six handguns (three 9mm handguns and three .45-caliber handguns), including the Para-Ordnance pistol he used in the shootings. As a result of the shootings, several schools, including Roosevelt High School and Nathan Eckstein Middle School, were put on lock-down for student safety.

Perpetrator

Ian Lee Stawicki (September 16, 1971 – May 30, 2012) was the sole perpetrator of the shooting. Stawicki had prior contacts with police but a relatively short record. Police say he had charges for domestic violence interference, fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief, and a 1989 charge for unlawfully carrying a weapon. However, court records show only a 1995 case for driving with a suspended license, which resulted in an adverse finding. A Seattle case from February 2008 included charges for domestic violence interference, assault, and property damage. The charges were dismissed because the case lacked clear proof.

During the February 2008 case, police officers were called to the Magnolia home of Stawicki and his then-girlfriend to find the victim with a bloody nose and crying. She told police that he had struck her and destroyed several of her belongings, and that in recent months, he had begun breaking things and flying into rages, according to the police report. Stawicki's father, Walt Stawicki, described his son as very private person who was "disgruntled" and had been a frequent customer of the coffee shop where his rampage began.