On a Saturday evening, June 8, 2019, Andre Lee Bryant, a 36-year-old Black / African American man, went to a Safeway grocery store on South 164th Street in SeaTac, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. His wife, Nicole, later recounted that he was out to buy groceries and diapers for their family. What began as a routine errand tragically ended in violence when an argument erupted outside the store.
The dispute was with a man Andre knew but hadn't seen in about a year.
The verbal confrontation quickly escalated. The other man, also 36 years old, pulled out a gun and shot Andre in the chest. Despite the grievous injury, Andre tried to run for his life but collapsed in the parking lot. Witnesses saw the gunman speed away from the scene in a blue sedan. Paramedics and law enforcement arrived, but Andre Lee Bryant died at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, Andre's family gathered in the Safeway parking lot, overwhelmed with grief. His mother, Willette Evans, in a raw and emotional plea, mourned the loss of her "baby boy" and cried out for justice. Andre’s wife described the act as one of hatred and jealousy, emphasizing that her husband was not looking for trouble. While his family acknowledged he had a complicated past with felony convictions, they insisted it did not justify his violent death.
The King County Sheriff's Office launched an immediate and active investigation. Working with several cooperating witnesses, detectives were able to identify a suspect. On the following Monday, authorities located and arrested a 36-year-old man in the nearby city of Renton in connection with the fatal shooting. The investigation revealed that the argument stemmed from a previous issue between the two men.
