Seattle Gunman Kills Five And Shoots Himself

A gunman who opened fire at a Seattle cafe killing five people and critically wounding one other shot himself as officers closed in on him.

Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said a plain-clothes detective spotted the cafe suspect in the southwestern part of the city and called for more officers.

As the officers arrived, the man put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He later died at a local hospital.

Police also had to respond to another fatal shooting after a man killed a woman in an apparent carjacking and fled in a black 4x4.

Authorities believe one man was responsible for both attacks.

"At this time, we feel pretty confident that we have the suspect in both cases," said Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz.

The shooting happened at Cafe Racer, a restaurant and music venue north of the University of Washington. The gunman was described as a man in his 30s wearing dark clothes.

Two men died at the scene. A woman and another man from the cafe died later in hospital.

Evan Hill, who lives above the building where the shooting happened, said the cafe was an artists' collective and performance space.

"It's the strangest place to think of a shooting," he said.

The latest gun deaths have prompted police to consider increasing patrols in high-crime areas.

The five deaths bring the number of homicides so far this year to 21, compared with the same number in all of last year.