Search on in brazen downtown Seattle shooting that hurt 5 Teen charged in shooting that coincided with anti-Trump march

Alrick Hollingsworth Jr., pictured in a photo provided by the Seattle Police Department. Alrick Hollingsworth Jr., pictured in a photo provided by the Seattle Police Department. Photo: SPD Photo: SPD Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Search on in brazen downtown Seattle shooting that hurt 5 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Seattle police are searching for a teen in a downtown shooting that saw five people injured, including one man who nearly died.

King County prosecutors claim Alrick Hollingsworth Jr. opened fire on a crowded sidewalk at 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 9. The shooting occurred near a large demonstration against President-elect Donald Trump; concerns that the events were related quickly faded as it turned out demonstrators were blocks away from the shooting.

According to charging papers, Hollingsworth, 18, got into an argument with another man near the intersection of Third Avenue and Pine Street. The corner is among the busiest in downtown Seattle’s commercial core and was crowded when the shooting began.

Writing in court papers, Senior Deputy Prosecutor William Doyle said the other man had turned to walk away when Hollingsworth drew a pistol and opened fire.

Five people caught in Hollingsworth’s line of fire went down as bullets struck them, Doyle said. Hollingsworth fled and remains at large.

Doyle said in court papers that Hollingsworth is an obvious threat to public safety.

“His willingness to shoot a victim at close range, uncaring about the collateral damage and potential lethality to bystanders, should lead the court to have strong safety concerns if he is not in confinement,” the prosecutor said.

Witnesses to the shooting told police Hollingsworth opened fire without warning moments after the argument ended. Four people standing nearby were shot. A woman in a nearby building was struck by a stray bullet.

Two men were intubated after arriving at Harborview Medical Center on Seattle’s First Hill. One had been shot in the neck and shoulder, while the other had been shot in the neck and collarbone.

Two other victims, a man and a woman, were shot in the legs, while the fifth victim was hit in the backside. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

In the hours before the shooting broke out, demonstrators upset by Trump’s election had gathered at nearby Westlake Park before heading to Capitol Hill. Fears that violence had broken out during the peaceful rally were allayed quickly, as the tragedy turned out to be of the non-political variety.

The shooting occurred in an area of Seattle’s downtown where low-level crime has proved persistent over the years. It is a transit center for the city frequented by drug dealers, and sits near areas that have experienced high rates of prostitution and recruitment by pimps.

Seattle Police Department detectives claim Hollingsworth ditched his coat in a Westlake Mall garbage can on his way to the city’s transit tunnel. He did so, they say, as a federal police officer on his lunch break looked on; officers recovered the jacket and received an updated description of the suspect’s apparel.

Detectives collected video footage from landlords and businesses in the area. While some of the shooting was caught on camera, the quality of the video proved poor.

Police claim they have since identified Hollingsworth as the gunman. A longtime member of the Seattle Police Department’s gang unit also identified the suspect in video recovered from the incident as “Rick Rock,” a nickname Hollingsworth has used.

It is not clear from charging papers whether Hollingsworth is alleged to have succeeded in shooting the man he was arguing with. Statements from the two most-seriously injured victims are not included in charging papers.

Hollingsworth is charged with five counts of first-degree assault. He is currently at large.

Police describe Hollingsworth as standing 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. Anyone wishing to share information should call 911.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.