Seattle police arrest woman suspected in shooting

By MANUEL VALDES
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) -- A woman suspected of critically wounding a 65-year-old man in a Seattle parks department building was arrested at her home Friday, hours after fleeing the scene of the shooting.

The shooting at a Parks and Recreation building in north Seattle prompted the city to shut down all community centers and put nearby schools on high alert.

Television footage showed parks employees standing outside the building where the shooting took place, surrounded by police officers.

Police initially characterized the shooting as workplace violence. The motive was being investigated.

Seattle police identified the suspect as 46-year-old Carolyn Piksa, an employee of the Parks and Recreation Department. The Seattle Times reported that Piksa has been an employee with the city since 1986. She works as an assistant coordinator for community centers.

After the shooting, the woman drove to another city facility where she confronted an employee with a handgun and exchanged words but left without incident, police said. There weren't immediate details of what she told that employee, Deputy Police Chief Nick Metz said.

The woman was arrested in Burien, a suburb south of Seattle. Television footage showed SWAT team personnel surrounding the house before police announced she was in custody. Her Chevrolet pickup truck was found abandoned near Burien before her arrest, police said.

The wounded man was identified as Bill Keller and was at Harborview Medical Center in critical but stable condition with a shot to the chest, spokeswoman Susan Gregg said. KOMO News reported the wounded man was the executive director of the Associated Recreation Council, a nonprofit group that works with Seattle Parks Department.

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