Solved case · 2012
Café Racer, SeattleCredit: LukobeCC BY-SA 3.0SourceThe short answer
On May 30, 2012, Ian Lee Stawicki, identified as the perpetrator, killed four people at Café Racer in Seattle's University District, then fatally shot another woman during a carjacking on First Hill before dying by suicide in West Seattle later that day.
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Suggest coverage for 2012 Seattle café shootingOn the morning of May 30, 2012, Ian Lee Stawicki entered Café Racer in the University District of Seattle, a business where staff had previously thrown him out and recognized him on sight. After lingering briefly, Stawicki, identified as the perpetrator, drew one of two .45-caliber handguns he was carrying and shot his first victim in the back of the head; the victim's body blocked the café's door, cutting off an easy escape route for others inside. One patron threw a bar stool and used another to create distance from Stawicki, allowing two or three people to flee through the blocked doorway. Stawicki then moved toward the bar and shot additional victims at close range. Before leaving, he took a hat from one of the people he had killed. In total, four patrons were killed at Café Racer and a fifth person, the café's chef, was wounded.
Approximately half an hour later, Stawicki killed another woman in a parking lot beside Town Hall Seattle on First Hill while carjacking her black Mercedes-Benz SUV. Later that afternoon, just before 4:00 p.m., as police closed in on him, Stawicki died by suicide on a sidewalk in West Seattle. The weapon used in the shootings was a Remington 1911 R1 pistol; Stawicki had previously owned six handguns in total, including three 9mm and three .45-caliber firearms. In the wake of the shootings, several nearby schools, including Roosevelt High School and Nathan Eckstein Middle School, were placed on lockdown.
Those killed at Café Racer were Joseph "Meshuguna Joe" Albanese, 52, a bassist for the band Mighty Sphincter and later a member of Circus Contraption; Andrew "Schmootzi the Clod" Keriakedes, 49, also a member of Circus Contraption; Kimberly Lynn Layfield, 36; and Donald Largen, 57. Gloria Leonidas, 52, was killed during the carjacking on First Hill. Leonard Meuse, 46, the café's chef, was injured but survived.
According to police, Stawicki had prior contacts with law enforcement, including reported charges for domestic-violence interference, fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief, and a 1989 charge for unlawfully carrying a weapon; however, available court records reflect only a 1995 case for driving with a suspended license. In February 2008, police were called to a Magnolia home Stawicki shared with a then-girlfriend after she was found with a bloody nose and reported that he had struck her and destroyed her belongings, and that he had recently begun breaking things and flying into rages. Stawicki's father, Walt Stawicki, described his son as private and "disgruntled," and said he had been a frequent customer of the coffee shop where the shooting began.
Café Racer continued operating intermittently after the attack, closing and reopening more than once before permanently closing in 2024, with its owners shifting focus to nonprofit arts outreach.
Ian Lee Stawicki is born.
Police are called to a domestic incident at Stawicki's Magnolia home involving his then-girlfriend.
Stawicki shoots and kills four patrons and wounds a fifth at Café Racer in Seattle's University District.
Approximately half an hour later, Stawicki kills a woman during a carjacking in a parking lot on First Hill near Town Hall Seattle.
Stawicki dies by suicide on a sidewalk in West Seattle as police close in, just before 4:00 p.m.
Café Racer closes permanently in its original form during the COVID-19 pandemic; owner announces a related online music station.
Café Racer reopens in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Café Racer closes permanently, with owners shifting focus to nonprofit outreach for young artists.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Killed at Café Racer, age 49; member of the performance group Circus Contraption.[3]
Killed at Café Racer, age 57.[3]
Killed during a carjacking on First Hill near Town Hall Seattle, age 52.[3]
Killed at Café Racer, age 52; bassist for the band Mighty Sphincter and later a member of Circus Contraption.[3]
Killed at Café Racer, age 36.[3]
Wounded at Café Racer, age 46; the café's chef.[3]
Identified by Wikipedia as the sole perpetrator of the shootings; died by suicide before any prosecution occurred, so no formal conviction was recorded.[3]
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
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