A 56-year-old woman who was injured in a deadly shooting in North Seattle Wednesday afternoon says she's speaking out, because she wants her students to know she's ok.
"I didn’t want to just be the woman that got shot, because there’s a real person that got shot, and they have real family," said Deborah Judd, a teacher at Laurelhurst Elementary School. "And I don’t want it to be my identity for the rest of my life, but for now I want to own it so I can move on."
Judd says she was driving home to Snohomish when the 33-year-old male suspect opened fire on her car. She says he was in the middle of the road about six feet from her when he shot.
“He looked me right in the eyes and just shot," Judd said. "He said nothing.”
At first Judd thought she had been hit with paintballs, but when she looked down at her arm and saw the blood, she knew what had happened.
“It’s very surreal," said Judd. "You just lay there and think, 'I just got shot.'”
Judd is still recovering at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle along with 53-year-old Metro bus driver Eric Stark, who was also injured in the wake of the shooter's rampage. They are both in satisfactory condition.
Judd says she wants her students to know she's ok, and she'll be back soon.
"I just think about them. When you're seven years old and you have to process your teacher being shot, it's not ok," Judd said.
Meanwhile, the man suspected of opening fire in what is being called a "random and senseless" shooting is out of the hospital, according to a Harborview spokesperson. The suspect was released Wednesday night. He is in police custody - officials have not confirmed his identity.
The shooting started when the 33-year-old man walked out of a home near Sand Point Way around 4 p.m. and tried to steal a vehicle. Police said the man shot Judd before shooting at a Metro bus driving by on Lake City Way at NE 125th Street.
Stark, who was driving the Metro Route 75 route, was shot in the torso. Stark managed to turn the bus around and drive away from the gunman. Metro said 12 people were on board the bus, but no passengers were hurt.
A GoFundMe campaign was started to help Stark with medical bills and any lost wages.
After shooting at the bus, the suspect approached a second vehicle and shot the driver of a red Prius, killing the driver, 76-year-old Robert M. Hassan.
Police arrived on the scene and tried making contact with the suspect. The suspect climbed into the Prius and sped away from police.
The suspect crashed into another vehicle, killing the other driver, 75-year-old Richard T. Lee. Police took the suspect into custody after a brief standoff.