Two employees of the Stars Bar & Grill were killed and a customer was injured in a shooting early Sunday morning, according to Federal Way police. Police are still searching for the suspect.
At about 3:30 a.m. May 21, officers responded to 31216 Pacific Highway S. for reports of a shooting at the bar.
When they arrived at the scene, officers found the two female bar employees and a 25-year-old male customer, all with gunshot wounds, according to Cmdr. Kurt Schwan of Federal Way police. Despite immediate aid provided by first responders, both employees died at the scene. The customer was transported to the hospital for additional medical care.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified one of the victims as 37-year-old Katie Duhnke, who died from a gunshot wound to the head. Her death is ruled a homicide. A GofundMe has been set up to support Duhnke’s family, so far collecting $4,265 of a $20,000 goal.
Friends and family members identified the second victim as Jessyca Hohn. A GoFundMe was created with the permission of Hohn’s family, which states she is a single mother to a 14-year-old son. The fundraiser has collected $18,705 of a $20,00 goal. Social media posts also state Duhnke and Hohn were close friends.
The suspect is reportedly another customer, a man in his late 20s or early 30s, according to police. Police believe the employees and the customer were shot in the parking lot as they left the bar after being involved in an earlier dispute with the suspect.
Schwan said detectives are still piecing together the timeline of events to determine if the dispute and shooting happened all together, or if the suspect waited for the three victims to leave the bar.
The suspect fled from the scene before officers arrived and has not been located as of May 22.
Anyone who was at Stars Bar & Grill on May 20 or early May 21, or anyone with information about the shooting, is urged to contact the Federal Way Police Department at 253-835-2121.