$15,000 reward offered in fatal drive-by shooting outside Seattle strip club

A security guard was killed and a woman injured in a drive-by shooting outside Kitten's Cabaret in south Seattle. An anonymous donor boosted the reward to $15,000.

Anonymous donor raises reward to $15,000 in Georgetown nightclub killing

An anonymous donor has added $14,000 to the reward fund in the fatal shooting of a security guard outside Kitten's Cabaret, a strip club in south Seattle, bringing the total to $15,000, komonews.com reports.

Crime Stoppers announced the increase, saying the money is available to anyone whose tip leads to an arrest and charge in the case.

Detectives are investigating a drive-by shooting that killed 36-year-old security guard Jean Carlo and injured 27-year-old Mariah Cusack shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday in the 5800 block of Fourth Avenue South. Multiple callers dialled 911 to report gunfire outside the club. Carlo was found dead at the scene.

Cusack was inside the building when a bullet penetrated the walls and struck her leg. Her mother, Cara Cusack, said her daughter called her around 1 a.m. "I've been shot," she told her. "One bullet went through the building and hit Mariah in the knee," Cara Cusack said. Officers administered first aid until Seattle Fire Department medics arrived and transported Cusack to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.

Surveillance footage and other evidence reviewed by police show a vehicle entering the club's parking lot before the driver fired multiple shots from inside the car and fled. Less than an hour after the shooting, officers located the vehicle — by then on fire — in the nearby Georgetown neighbourhood.

A local business owner told komonews.com that the area has a history of criminal activity, including shootings and break-ins. Sunday's events have prompted residents and business operators to call for a stronger police presence in Georgetown and faster emergency response times. "I know [Seattle police] are busy, but there's violence down here and there's only so much we can do as a community to help each other out," she said.

Detectives from the Seattle Police Department's Homicide and Crime Scene Investigation units are leading the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Seattle Police Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000. Tips submitted through Crime Stoppers may qualify for the full $15,000 reward if they result in an arrest and charge.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown