A memorial at the site of last nights killing.
  • Kelly O
  • A memorial at the site of last night's killing.


The mayor, Greg Nickels, walked into the briefing room at Seattle Police headquarters downtown this afternoon wearing a dark suit and grim face. Behind him, four of the city's top-ranking officers, all wearing black bands over their badges.

“We ask you to do a difficult and dangerous job, and you do it every day with excellence," Nickels said, addressing both the officers behind him and the entire Seattle police force. "Please know that you are not alone in this difficult time.”

Nickels announced the name of the eight-year Seattle police department veteran who was gunned down last night while parked in a patrol car in Leschi: Timothy Brenton, 39.

The mayor called the incident "a cold-blooded, premeditated shooting."

Brenton had a wife and two children, ages 8 and 11, and came from a family that is filled with people devoted to public safety. His father is a retired Seattle police officer. So is his uncle. His brother-in-law works for the Seattle Fire Department.

Last night, after completing a traffic stop at around 9:30 p.m., Brenton and a police department trainee, Brit Sweeney, had parked their patrol car on 29th Avenue near Yesler Way. They were discussing how the stop had gone. "Debriefing," said Jim Pugel, the city's chief detective, as he recounted what police currently understand about the conversation and the subsequent events.

The patrol car was facing south. A small car—whitish or light-blue or silvery in color—approached from behind. As this car pulled up alongside the officers' patrol car, Sweeney sensed danger. She shouted. She ducked. An unknown number of shots, fired from an unknown weapon, slammed into the patrol car, killing Brenton instantly. One of the bullets grazed Sweeney's back, even though she was wearing a protective vest beneath her uniform.

Sweeney called for backup. All available officers in the city responded. She got out of the patrol car and fired back. She'd been on the job as a trainee for a total of six months. Pugel said she showed the coolness and good instincts of a ten-year veteran.

The vehicle the shots came from, containing an unknown number of people, backed up, drove away, and disappeared.

"It's a miracle she's alive," Pugel said of Sweeney. “This was an assassination, and every resource is being used to bring it to a conclusion.”

The police procession this afternoon, delivering the body of Timothy Brenton to the Bonney-Watson funeral home on Broadway.
  • Kelly O
  • The police procession this afternoon, delivering the body of Timothy Brenton to the Bonney-Watson funeral home on Broadway.
Police are now looking at the patrol car's on-board camera, talking to witnesses, following leads. “We have people who may have seen it," Pugel said. "We’re still trying determine exactly if they did, and who saw it immediately after.”

Police also have arrested a man who was released from jail yesterday and may have made remarks about intended violence toward police officers. However, Pugel downplayed the significance of the arrest. He asked the public for more tips, suggestions for businesses in the area with video cameras, and any Halloween night photos taken last night in Leschi that might have the suspected vehicle—or anything unusual—in the background.

Pugel urged people with potentially helpful information to call the Seattle police tip line (206.233.5000) or Crime Stoppers, which is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case (1.800.222.TIPS or text to 274637 with Tip486 in the body of the text).

There had been no recent threats made against Brenton, according to Pugel. "Other than him being a police officer," he said, "there's nothing to indicate they were looking for him."

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