On May 30, 2012, Kimberly Lynn Layfield, a 36-year-old female, was tragically killed in a mass shooting in Seattle, Washington. Originally from Albany, Georgia, Layfield had moved to Seattle a decade prior and was working as a dental assistant. On that Wednesday morning, she was a patron at Café Racer in the University District when a gunman entered and opened fire.
The shooter was identified as Ian Lee Stawicki.
After being asked to leave the café, where he had previously been banned, Stawicki pulled out a handgun and began shooting, killing Layfield and three other people inside the establishment. A fifth person in the cafe was wounded but survived. The senseless act of violence shocked the community and left friends and family mourning the sudden loss of a woman described as a special and caring person.
Following the shooting at the café, Stawicki fled the scene. A short time later, he confronted another woman in a carjacking on First Hill, fatally shooting her as well before stealing her vehicle. This sparked a citywide manhunt for the suspect. Later that afternoon, as police closed in on his location in West Seattle, Ian Lee Stawicki died by suicide, ending the deadly rampage. The investigation concluded that Stawicki acted alone, and with his death, the case was closed.
