On the evening of February 9, 2021, Seattle police officers were called to the parking area near the Northwest African American Museum in the Central District of Seattle after multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunfire. Responding officers arrived around 9:15 p.m. and, according to the Seattle Police Department, heard ongoing gunshots in the area as they approached. The suspect in the shooting was later identified by authorities as Gregory Taylor. Taylor, who was 45 years old at the time and a resident of the Urban League Village apartments that sit above the museum property, was armed with a handgun when police encountered him.
As officers moved into the scene, Taylor walked toward a parked vehicle where two women were sitting. Witness and surveillance video released by police showed Taylor approaching the car before gunfire erupted. At least one of the women, identified by the King County Medical Examiner as 23-year-old Anais Valencia, was shot and killed, and the second woman was shot and critically injured. There is no indication that Taylor knew the victims, and investigators later stated that the attack appeared random.
Police say that when they encountered Taylor after he fired at the victims, officers gave Taylor commands to put down his firearm. According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigation, Taylor ignored these commands, and at some point he pointed his handgun toward the officers. The officers then discharged their weapons, striking Taylor. Officers immediately began administering first aid to him until medics arrived, but Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the injured woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she was treated for her wounds.
Seattle police released surveillance and body-worn camera footage after the shooting, showing fragments of the incident and the moments leading up to the deadly confrontation. The footage included the suspect approaching the victims’ car and officers issuing commands before shots were fired. Investigators also released 911 audio showing the victims’ frantic call for help.
The aftermath of the shooting drew reactions from the community, including vigils for the woman who was killed and conversation about public safety and violence in the neighborhood. The shooting was one of several violent incidents in the area that week, and it highlighted ongoing concerns about gun violence and police use of force.
An independent investigation was later completed under Washington state law, which requires a thorough review when deadly force by police results in death or serious harm. The memorandum from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office concluded that officers believed Taylor posed an imminent threat after discharging his weapon and pointing it at them, and that their use of deadly force was consistent with legal standards to prevent death or serious injury.
The tragic events on February 9, 2021, resulted in the loss of an innocent life, serious injury to another person, and the death of the shooter after an intense confrontation with law enforcement. The case remains part of broader discussions in Seattle about violence, community safety, and the complexities police face when responding to active shooter situations.