The shooting did not appear to be connected
to the anti-Trump demonstrations but instead stemmed from a personal argument,
said Robert Merner, assistant chief of the Seattle Police Department.
"It appears that some type of argument
took place. This individual began to walk away from the crowd, then turned and
fired into the crowd," Merner told reporters.
He said the suspect then fled from the area
on foot and remained at large more than an hour later.
The most seriously injured victim, a man,
was rushed to nearby Harborview Medical Center, where he was listed in critical
condition on Wednesday night.
The other four victims, identified only as
one woman and three men, all sustained non-life threatening wounds to their
legs, police said.
Police and fire crews were on the scene in
less than a minute because they had been in the area to monitor the
demonstrations, he said, but did not arrive in time to engage the suspect.
Thousands of people rallied in cities
across the United States on Wednesday to protest against Trump's win, blasting
his controversial campaign rhetoric against immigrants, Muslims and other
groups.
In Seattle, hundreds of protesters marched
through the downtown streets.
Following the shooting, police closed down
the intersection of Third Avenue and Pine streets, where the shooting took
place in front of a convenience store and a bus stop.
The Seattle Times newspaper reported that
witnesses heard several gunshots.
