A 21-year-old man shot three times during a confrontation near Seattle’s Belltown neighbourhood is recovering after suffering life-threatening injuries, as his family urges witnesses to help identify those responsible.
Matthew Lanske was among four people wounded in the early hours of Sunday, 6 September, when gunfire broke out near Denny Way and Clay Street, according to Seattle police. One man died and three other people were injured.
Police said an altercation involving three people took place shortly before the shooting, which followed a street takeover. The suspect remains at large.
Lanske’s family said he and friends had just finished dinner when a man and two women allegedly tried to rob one of his friends at gunpoint. His sister, Rebecca Garberding, said Lanske attempted to seize the weapon.
“My brother tried to take it from him and then ended up getting shot,” she said.
He was struck twice in the stomach, while a third bullet shattered his pelvis and hit a major artery, according to his family. His mother, Shanda Barney, said he lost a dangerous amount of blood but managed to walk about two blocks in search of help.
Lanske eventually sat down and texted 911 and his girlfriend. Officers found him and he was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he remained on life support for two days and was initially unable to speak.
When he regained consciousness, his mother said, he told her he had tried to enter a nearby 7-Eleven but found the doors locked.
“He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, ‘Mom, they wouldn’t let me in. They locked the doors. I begged them to let me, and there was so much blood coming out of my stomach, I thought I was going to die,’” Barney said in a statement.
Seattle police appeal for Belltown shooting witnesses
Barney said the family had been particularly distressed by reports that people stood nearby filming and taking photographs while her son was seriously injured.
Garberding acknowledged that people may have been frightened, but said someone could still have called emergency services or helped Lanske reach safety.
“Somehow someone out there knows something. Maybe you saw something. Maybe you heard something. Just please come forward,” she said.
Lanske has undergone two operations and is expected to need two more. His family said he could be unable to return to his construction job for several months.
Seattle police have opened an online evidence portal for photographs and video showing the moments before or during the shooting, as well as possible information about the suspect. Investigators are also taking information through the Violent Crimes Tip Line on 206-233-5000.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through the P3 Tips app or P3Tips.com. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Garberding said the family wanted accountability and justice rather than revenge.
“To my baby brother, I love you. We love you. Keep fighting. You’re not alone,” she said. “We’re right here and we’re never going to give up on you.”
