A gunman killed six young partygoers early on Saturday and critically injured at least one other before committing suicide when confronted by police outside.
The heavily armed shooter, dressed in black, fired repeatedly as he made his way into the house, killing four men and two women, police said. He then went upstairs and tried to get into a locked bathroom where a young couple were hiding. Unable to enter, he fired through the door before leaving the pair unharmed.
The victims were found in several places in the rented home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood east of downtown, police said.
One of three other people taken to a hospital died and the third was in stable condition, a nursing supervisor said.
"It's one of the largest crime scenes the city has ever had," Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said.
Police said it appeared to be Seattle's worst mass killing since 1983, when 13 people died in an attack at a gambling club.
As darkness fell, young people gathered near the house and lit candles for the victims.
Dozens of rounds were fired in the house, where about 20 people ranging from their early and mid teens to mid-20s had gathered after a larger party nearby.
He said the shooter had left the house briefly before returning with a handgun and a 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun, which Kerlikowske described as "a weapon not designed for hunting purposes but for hunting people."
The gunman, identified only as a local man in his late 20s, also wore bandoliers of shells for the shotgun and carryied additional clips for the handgun, the chief said. In his truck, police found an assault rife and multiple "banana clips" carrying 30 bullets each.
As the gunman walked from his truck to the house, he spray painted the word "NOW" in orange twice on the sidewalk and once on the steps of a neighbor's home, police said.
Officers said they were unaware of a possible motive. Police said they did not know whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, though Kerlikowske said marijuana and alcohol were found in the house.
He said an officer in the neighborhood heard shots fired at just after 7am. When Officer Steve Leonard reached the scene, he found one person staggering out of the house with a gunshot wound.
The officer confronted another man who emerged with a shotgun, telling him to put the weapon down, Kerlikowske said. The man turned the gun on himself and fired a fatal shot, he said.
William Lowe, 59, who lives across the street, said he heard six shots shortly after his alarm went off. He looked out in time to see people scattering from the home.
Lowe said he saw the man with the shotgun put the barrel in his mouth and fire.
Aaron Hoyle, 25, of Renton, said about five people in or around their 20s lived in the blue, two-story bungalow with white trim, and that some were promoters of warehouse parties.
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