Two killed, two injured as gunman opens fire in Seattle

Two men were killed and a man and woman were injured when a gunman opened fire in a Seattle street and then fled, leading to a fatal car accident.

The unidentified suspect was taken to a Seattle hospital, where he remained under guard while being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police.

Seattle Police Deputy Chief Marc Garth Green described the rampage as a "random, senseless act."

Seattle police say that around 4:05 p.m. PT, a resident in the Lake City neighbourhood walked outside with a handgun and approached a woman who was driving. He tried to carjack the vehicle, and in the process shot her, critically injuring her, authorities said.

Then the gunman walked into the street and fired at a Metro bus.

The bus driver was hit by the gunfire, but was able to turn the bus around and get away, police said.

The gunman then carjacked a red Prius, shooting and killing the 50-year-old driver, police said. When officers arrived, they tried to talk to the gunman, Green said. But the gunman closed the car door and took off in the Prius, with officers pursuing him for about a block and a half "at a high rate of speed," according to police.

During the chase, the gunman collided with another car, killing the other driver, a 70-year-old man, authorities said.

Police said one motorist was killed by gunfire and the other motorist was killed in the collision. Both were men. None of the victims was immediately identified by police.

King County’s Metro transit authority said on Twitter the bus driver had activated an emergency alarm to report being shot, and that none of his 12 passengers was injured.

Although wounded in the torso, the bus driver was able to walk to a gurney to be transported by paramedics to a hospital, the Seattle Times quoted a transit union president as saying.