| Murder of Timothy Brenton | |
|---|---|
| Location | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Date | Saturday, October 31, 2009 10:00 p.m. (UTC-8) |
| Attack type | Ambush shooting |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 2 (1 police officer, 1 suspect) |
| Suspected perpetrator | Christopher Monfort |
The murder of Timothy Brenton occurred on October 31, 2009 in the Central District of Seattle, Washington, United States. Brenton, an officer with the Seattle Police Department, was seated in a parked patrol car with another officer discussing a traffic stop when a gunman stopped his vehicle alongside the patrol car, opened fire on the two officers, and fled the scene. Brenton died at the scene and his partner sustained minor injuries.[1] One week later, as a public memorial service for Brenton was being held at KeyArena, the suspected gunman was apprehended and seriously wounded after being shot by police officers in Tukwila.
The shooting is believed to have been a targeted attack against police officers in general, not against either officer individually. The suspect arrested in connection with the murder has also been charged in connection with the firebombing of Seattle police vehicles at a city maintenance facility on October 22, 2009.[2]
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One Seattle Police Department officer was killed and another injured. They were:
On the night of October 31, 2009, at approximately 10:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7), Brenton and his partner, trainee officer Britt Sweeney, were both sitting in their patrol car following a traffic stop at 29th Avenue South and East Yesler Way in the Central District. Sweeney was sitting in the driver's seat with Brenton in the passenger seat. They were debriefing the traffic stop they just performed when a vehicle pulled up alongside the police car and someone inside opened fire with a rifle.[3] Sweeney ducked, and a bullet grazed the top of her head and her back. Brenton, meanwhile, was mortally wounded in the attack. The suspect vehicle reversed, turned around, and fled the scene in the direction from which it came. As the vehicle was fleeing the scene Sweeney managed to call for help, exit the patrol car, and return fire.[1][4] Seattle's police chief called the attack an assassination[4], as well as an act of domestic terrorism.[2] Several days after the shooting, a suspicious vehicle was identified as having been seen on dashboard cameras of other police vehicles in the area of the shooting.
A public memorial service was held for Brenton on November 6. The memorial began with a procession of police and fire vehicles from the University of Washington campus to KeyArena, where a public ceremony was held. As the ceremony was concluding, officers with the Seattle and Tukwila police departments and King County Sheriff's Office confronted Christopher Monfort, age 41, who owned a vehicle matching the description of the suspicious vehicle, in the parking lot of a Tukwila apartment complex. Monfort brandished a gun and attempted to flee into his apartment. Upon brandishing the weapon again, the pursuing officers opened fire, seriously wounding Monfort. Monfort was taken to Harborview Medical Center and his family has stated that he is paralyzed from the waist down.[3]
At the time of the incidents, Monfort had no criminal record in Washington, and in 2007 attended the University of Washington and studied law enforcement.[5]
Upon entering Monfort's apartment police allege they found three rifles, a shotgun, homemade explosives, booby traps and a barricade of tires. Investigators also claim to have matched ballistics between a rifle found in Monfort's apartment and the bullets used in the attack on Brenton and Sweeney. They also found evidence connecting Monfort with the firebombing of multiple police vehicles at a Seattle city maintenance facility on October 22, 2009, in which prosecutors claim he was planning to kill police officers. Police also claim to have a DNA match for Monfort found on the flags left at the firebombing scene and the murder scene.[3]
King County prosecutors charged Monfort with aggravated first degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Brenton and Sweeney. He is also charged with arson and attempted first-degree murder in connection with the firebombing at the city maintenance facility, and another attempted first-degree murder charge for attempting to shoot a detective who was pursuing him.[3][3][5]