5 are shot, 1 dies, at Seattle Jewish Federation

Patti Simon, left, and Becky Minsky leave the scene of a shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

SEATTLE At least five people were shot, one of them fatally, this afternoon at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and one person was arrested, authorities said.

Five or six people were wounded, assistant police chief Jim Pugel said.

One person died, fire department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said.

One wounded woman was shot in the abdomen and another woman was hit in the arm, according to news accounts. Information on the others wounded was not immediately available.

Patti Simon, left, and Becky Minsky leave the scene of a shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

A SWAT team searched the federation building, looking for any other victims, anyone hiding or any other possible shooters, police spokesman Rich Pruitt said.

Pruitt said he had no information on a motive. Hopefully we can figure that out as this goes on, he said.

Police cordoned off several city blocks to investigate.

Several witnesses said they saw a man walk up and shoot a woman in the leg on a sidewalk near the building.

We heard this horrible screaming on the floor above us and shots, Patti Simon said in a phone interview, her voice shaking. We didn t know what was happening.

Simon, who sells advertising for the federation s newspaper, was working on the first floor when she heard screaming, shots and what sounded like furniture crashing on the floor above.

Simon called up to her co-workers on the second floor, but got no answer, so she called the police and fled the building.

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