Man shot near Union and Boylston; gunman at large | Crime

A man was critically injured in a shooting in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood on Friday night.

Police and fire officials said the victim was shot in the chest in a pay-to-park lot in the 700 block of East Union just before 6 p.m.

The unidentified man in his 30s was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

Investigators are searching for the gunman, but a description was not available.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation, but one witness said he talked to the victim just moments after he was shot.

Matt Irvin said he heard several being fired, then saw the victim bleeding profusely.

The witness said rushed over to help the victim, who told him that a man pulled up in a car and demanded his wrist watch. When the victim refused to hand it over, he opened fire, Irvin said.

"Some girls brought some pillows and stuff. Gal suggested I cover up the hole in his chest. He had a nice little dime-sized hole right here above his heart," he said.

Witnesses said they saw the gunman speed off in a dark-colored sedan, but no official description was available.

Homicide detectives are investigating the case, and police would not confirm witnesses' claims, stating the motive remains unclear.

"That's all under investigation. We haven't heard. We're still putting the information. Detectives have just gotten here, started interviewing witnesses, so I can't even begin to speculate on that," said Capt. Ron Wilson.