Renton Movie Theater Shooting Takes Place During ’13 Hours’ Showing [Breaking]

A movie theater shooting has taken place in Renton, Washington. The shooting took place in downtown Renton at The Landing and has left one woman critically injured. A report from KOMO News states that the incident took place during a showing of the film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

KOMO News states that the victim was shot in the upper chest and that she has been taken to Harborview Medical Center. That information came from Renton fire officials on scene, who relayed that she is currently listed in critical condition.

A report from KING 5 News confirms that the shooting took place on Thursday, January 21, shortly after 8 p.m. PT. Police told KING 5 that a man who walked into the theater “accidentally” discharged his weapon, hitting a woman who was already in a seat. Witnesses said that the man appeared to be intoxicated and fled the scene after the shooting took place. An additional update on the situation states that the suspect has called 9-1-1 to turn himself in. This took place shortly after 10:30 p.m. PT.

The Regal Cinemas location where this took place is called The Landing in Renton. It is located on the 900 block of N 10th place near Fry’s Electronics and Lowe’s Home Improvement. When the suspect was still considered to be at large, Renton police told people to avoid the area while the ongoing investigation continues.

Reports have been confirmed that the suspect was captured on security cameras at the movie theater, giving the police something to go off of in the current search.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a new theatrical release by director Michael Bay and writer Chuck Hogan. It stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Pablo Schreiber, and Toby Stephens. The early box office totals through January 20 put the film at just over $22 million in the United States during its first six days of release.

An updated report from KIRO TV confirmed that one patient has arrived at Harborview Medical Center. They also released a description of the suspect that police were trying to locate.

“Police are searching for the shooter who is described as male, Hispanic or white, in his 20s, with short brown hair, wearing a black top, gray hoodie, blue jeans and white shoes.”

A witness that KIRO TV spoke with stated that the shooter was seen after the incident. Following the Renton movie theater shooting, he reportedly “went into a restaurant and dropped his gun in front of the patrons. The man then picked up his gun and walked into the parking garage and got away.” This information gave police a direction to search for the shooter. The box office for the movie theater was cordoned off as the investigation continued at the scene of the shooting.

Renton, Washington, is a suburb of Seattle and located on Lake Washington. The city has an estimated population of just over 97,000 and is the practice home of the Seattle Seahawks. Regal Cinemas at The Landing is considered the major movie theater within city limits and often frequented by many people in Renton. The 14 screens help to make it a very popular destination for teens and young adults.

Another new update on the Renton movie theater shooting states that the suspect was “fumbling with a handgun he had in his possession” when it simply went off and critically injured the woman. This update comes from a KIRO TV reporter who is on scene. The woman who was hit just happened to be sitting in front of him and the suspect fled the scene immediately following the shooting. The name of the victim has not yet been released, but it has been confirmed again that she is currently undergoing treatment at Harborview Medical Center.

[Photo courtesy of David Nelson]