The shooting was reported around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. A suspect has not been arrested.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Police are searching for a suspect after a 44-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at Celebration Park Apartments in a busy Federal Way neighborhood. Investigators say the incident began with a fight between two people who knew each other.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting at the apartment complex, located across the street from the Safeway on 11th Place South and South 320th Street, and found the man dead at the scene. As of Sunday night, no arrest had been made.
“The suspect is outstanding at this time and we do not believe there is a danger to the public,” said Kyle Buchanan, a spokesperson for the Federal Way Police Department.
Neighbor Hamid Ibrahim said the police response made it immediately clear something serious had happened.
“This kind of thing, you know, like a lot of police — it’s not normal,” Ibrahim said. “So it’s something big, definitely.”
He told KING 5 he heard a gunshot moments before officers arrived.
“I heard a really loud bang noise, and we all kind of just got panicked, so I came up to see what’s happening,” he said.
As the investigation unfolded, neighbors watched police interview witnesses and comb the area for evidence. One resident reported seeing officers use a drone to search near the scene.
“I saw a cop down at the end of the apartments with a drone,” said neighbor Brian Smith.
Smith, who lives a couple blocks away, said the shooting was unsettling, particularly for his family. “It’s unusual,” Smith said, adding that his elderly mother lives close to the apartment complex. He said he hopes police will soon take a suspect into custody. “I hope they find who they’re looking for,” he said.
Investigators have not released details about what specifically led up to the fight or the shooting.
The killing adds to a troubling trend in Federal Way. Between last August and the year before, police say the city saw nine homicides — roughly twice as many as the previous year — with the majority tied to domestic violence. The circumstances of Saturday’s shooting have not yet been revealed.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Federal Way Police Department as the search for the suspect continues.
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