In the heart of downtown Seattle, on the evening of September 13, 2019, a dispute that began on the city streets would soon descend into tragedy underground. The night took a fatal turn for 21-year-old Dawda Corr, a young man whose life was cut short in a burst of gunfire. The events leading to the deadly confrontation reportedly started with an argument at a McDonald's near 3rd Avenue and Pine Street.
Following the altercation, Corr and two companions made their way to the nearby Westlake light rail station, intending to catch a train.
As they waited on the platform, the conflict caught up with them. A 20-year-old man named Bryce A. Hardy, who was allegedly part of the earlier dispute, appeared in the station. Surveillance footage captured the harrowing moments that followed. Hardy approached Corr and his friends and began shooting amidst a crowd of commuters who scrambled for cover, hiding behind benches and trash cans. Witnesses and video evidence suggested that Hardy specifically targeted Corr, continuing to fire until he collapsed to the ground. The chaos left Corr mortally wounded and his two friends, Steven Mostajo and Marc Pedraza, with serious injuries. One of the injured men, in an attempt to escape the gunfire, rolled off the platform and onto the tracks below.
First responders rushed to the chaotic scene. Dawda Corr was transported to Harborview Medical Center, but he succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds. His death was later ruled a homicide by the King County Medical Examiner's Office. His two companions were also treated at the hospital for their injuries and eventually released. The Seattle Police Department quickly launched an investigation, releasing surveillance footage of the suspect fleeing the station with a gun in hand to the public in an appeal for information.
The investigation led police to Bryce Amir Hardy. A few days after the shooting, Bellevue police officers recognized and arrested Hardy at his girlfriend's home. Prosecutors charged Hardy with first-degree murder for the death of Dawda Corr, as well as two counts of first-degree assault for the injuries to the other men and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. He was held on $2 million bail. Court documents indicated that Hardy's actions showed a disregard for the many bystanders present in the station. In early October 2019, Bryce Hardy pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
