‘I could have been killed’: Woman almost hit by stray bullet while sitting in her Belltown apartment

SEATTLE — A man in his 60s was shot late Monday night in Belltown, police said.

As of Tuesday morning, the man who was shot was in stable condition at Harborview Medical Center.

The shooting also nearly killed another woman simply because she was in her apartment at the time of the shooting. Bullets flew inches from her head.

“I could have been killed,” said the 22-year-old woman, who preferred to remain anonymous. “I could die today because someone was stupid and I was sitting in my apartment.”

She said she was sitting on her couch, looking at her phone and watching videos when she heard some loud pops.

“I will forever be affected by something I was never a part of,” she said.

She heard the first shot, and realized it had broken her window and flown through her living room near where she was sitting. She said her survival instinct moved to hide on the ground, and a second bullet entered the wall almost where her head was.

“It’s terrifying,” she said.

Shootings have plagued the area around her Belltown apartment building throughout the summer, especially in the last month alone.

On August 13, two people were shot on Lenora Street, and another person was shot a block away on Blanchard Street, the same street where the latest shooting occurred. Two weeks later, on August 30, a person was shot and killed on Third Avenue. And Lenora Street.

“It’s kind of a free-for-all here, and there are no consequences for what these people do,” one witness said.

This witness also asked us not to reveal his identity, for fear of retaliation.

“It’s lawless here now,” he added.

He said his version of what happened was that he heard an argument and then “four gunshots went off.”

He added: “(A man) grabbed the back of a car and said: ‘Take me to the hospital. You shot me! You shot me!’ “And then about five or six more shots were fired.”

Seattle police said no suspects have been arrested.

All that remains at the scene at Blanchard Street and Second Avenue are bullet holes and a shattered sense of security.

“I feel very lucky,” the woman said.

She is now in the process of moving from her street-level unit to a higher and hopefully safer unit.

The young woman is an artist and musician, and said she does not have access to mental health assistance at the moment.

“This event shook me deeply,” she said.

To contribute to the treatment she needs in the wake of this traumatic event, visit her GoFundMe.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.