Woman shot in head while serving eviction notice in Renton, suspect arrested
RENTON, Wash. - A woman serving an eviction notice was shot in the head by a man in the house Tuesday and the suspected shooter was arrested when he returned to the scene of the crime a few hours later, Renton police said.
Officers and medics responded to the scene, in the 2700 block of NE 9th Street in Renton, at about noon after receiving reports of shots fired, said Cmdr. David Leibman with Renton Police.
Police say Joshua Gasperich fired several rounds from a long gun, hitting a truck and the woman, who neighbors say was the landlord of the building.
“I saw her when she was on the driveway right here and her face was full of blood, and her hand was on the top of her head” said Omar Tellez, who works in the neighborhood.
The 40-year-old woman had staggered to a nearby business and asked for help. The woman was rushed by ambulance to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, Leibman said. Late Tuesday night, Doctors said she remains in intensive care, but was upgraded to serious condition.
The suspected gunman left the scene in a pickup truck, but around 2:30 p.m. as Leibman was giving an updated briefing to the media, a truck matching the description of one being driven by the suspect was spotted driving near the scene.
"While we were talking a little while ago, we had some of our officers say they just had a vehicle just drove past our location that looked like the suspect vehicle," Leibman told gathered reporters. "They just stopped him two blocks up the street and it is our suspect and he is in custody."
The man was arrested without incident and was going to be booked into the King County Jail.
Leibman said it was "very surprising" that the suspect would return to the crime scene.
"We had a couple other callers... saying they saw the suspect vehicle in the area that looked kind of like his," Leibman said. "But clearly, it was his."
Neighbors say Gasperich hadn't lived in the building very long.
