AveWatch: Shooting outside Ruby Chipotle
News from the P-I that a man was shot in a failed robbery attempt around 42nd and the Ave in the U-District. (EDIT: Apparently the actual event took place outside Chipotle, not Ruby.) The victim ran into Ruby to seek help and is expected to recover. No word on the whereabouts of the gunman, though police appear to be searching some buildings on campus as a precaution.
My department usually has its happy hours at Ruby — pretty shocking to think this could happen right outside. Normally it’s the blocks above 45th that seem to attract the most trouble — though there were shots fired in the parking lot behind Chipotle about a year ago, if I recall correctly.
For late-breaking updates, watch Citizen Journalism at work in uw.livejournal.com.
A small group of us drove over to The Big Time on The Ave around 9:30 last night. We could see police congregated up by Ruby and Chipotle and the crime scene tape masking off the street. Felt like the calm after the storm. We went into The Big Time, heard about the shooting and assumed the crime situation was concluded. Folks on The Ave were going on about their business and the front porch of the Celtic bar near Chipotle’s was full of folks swilling away. It wasn’t until I got home, and looked up the Seattle Times on-line, that I realized the shooter was still at large. That gave me the creeps. Perhaps the police had a good idea which direction the shooter ran (away from The Ave presumably), but in retrospect it seemed weird that people were allowed to go about their business with a crazed guy with a gun on the loose.
Then again, I suspect the wild life on The Ave is rather difficult to control… I love “Ruby”, but when you have a window seat it’s clear to see that the creepy “weirdness” from up the street does travel south.
When I left The Big Time last night I walked the 20 yards to my car that was parked up the street. A fire engine and an ambulance were blocking my car. Some one had injured themselves in the upstairs restaurant.
Man, it was only a Tuesday night….
Drury