PORT ANGELES — Witnesses say a black male in his mid-20s fired several gunshots into a crowd during an early morning brawl at the Peking China Restaurant, 2416 E. U.S. Highway 101, east of Port Angeles.
No one was hit by the gunfire, which was reported to 9-1-1 dispatchers at 1:45 a.m. Sunday.
A suspect remained at large Sunday evening.
“We have a suspect, and we’re trying to track him down,” said Clallam County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores.
Four shots
One witness told investigators that he was shot at four times but was not hit.
“We found four shell casings that did corroborate the witness’s statement,” Moores said.
Detectives believe the gun was a 380 semiautomatic, Moores said.
“There was definitely a big brawl out there, and there was some shots fired,” Moores said.
After the shooting, the suspect got into a vehicle and left the scene.
Moores declined to say whether the suspect lives in the area. He would not provide a description of the vehicle.
“I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation,” Moores said.
“We are working on identifying the suspect.”
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Department was interviewing witnesses Sunday evening.
“Stories are changing since the initial investigation,” Moores said.
“We’re still trying to sort it out.”
A witness who left his car parked at a nearby business reported his front tire was blown out by a round.
“There was a whole crowd of people out there,” Moores said.
Some of the witnesses said a half-dozen shots were fired.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
