Shot fired accidentally into Slave to the Needle

Update, Dec. 2: We talked with a Milano Pizza employee who told us that the shooting was accidental. The witness said that another employee had brought a gun into the restaurant, where some people were looking at it in the back of the building. They’d taken the magazine out, said the witness, but unbeknownst to the shooter, a bullet was left in the firearm.

The witness recalled that the gun owner pulled the trigger, and the bullet went through a wall and almost hit someone next door at Slave to the Needle. The witness said that the shooter later turned himself in to police and now is at home, pretty shaken up about the incident.

The site SeattleCrime.com reports these details: “We’re told the gunman then fled the scene following the shooting, and ditched the weapon in Lake Union. Police talked to witnesses and pieced together the details of the bizarre incident, and apparently gave the man a stern lecture, but did not make an arrest.”

Posted Dec. 1: Shots were fired tonight from Milano Pizza and Pasta into Slave to the Needle at 403 NE 45th St. on the eastern edge of Wallingford. According to information our tipster Silver gleaned from the police scanner, at about 7:50 tonight employees at Slave to the Needle heard a commotion and shots fired from Milano Pizza next door.

(Image from Google Maps)

The preliminary information available from the Seattle Police Department said, “A business in the area sustained damage to a wall where a bullet was lodged. At the time of this posting, there were no reported injuries or additional property damage. No suspect information.”

The person who answered the phone at Slave to the Needle didn’t want to give a statement.

We’ll update this story as we get more information.