Seattle, WA: Wife, mother had sought protection orders against man fatally shot by police

By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
The man working at QFC who was fatally shot by Seattle police Monday had been accused of domestic violence by his wife and mother during the past year, according to court records.

Ariel Rosenfeld, 43, was killed in the backroom of the Wedgwood supermarket after he pulled a gun from his waistband during a violent struggle with three police officers, according to Seattle police. Rosenfeld was shot once in the torso at close range, Mike Sanford, deputy chief of patrol operations, said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Police had gone to the store on Monday night to arrest Rosenfeld, who had been accused of choking his mother into unconsciousness the night before, police said.

According to court documents, Rosenfeld had been the subject of two protection orders granted to his wife and 71-year-old mother in the past year.

In his mother's Dec. 16 request for protection, she claimed the times her son had threatened her over the years were "too numerous to mention" and that he threatened her with knives, started a fire in her garage and abused her and her dogs.

Since he was 12, she said, "he has been violent and I have been afraid constantly of confrontation."

In February, Rosenfeld's wife sought a protection order, claiming that he was paranoid and needed medical intervention.

She said he'd hit her, stalked her and punched a 5-foot hole in the wall when she locked herself in a bathroom to get away from him, court documents show.

She claimed he spoke of wanting to kill his mother, his landlord, his rabbi and himself, according to court documents. A month later, according to court documents, Rosenfeld's wife filed for divorce.

In recent months, Rosenfeld had been living with his mother in Seattle, police said. He was supposed to move out Sunday, but he refused and he tried to choke her, police said.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, three officers approached him when he was in the back stockroom of the store, at 8400 35th Ave. N.E., police said.

Rosenfeld immediately began to run and then fought with officers, police said.

"It was a running and very violent, continuous engagement in close quarters, in hallways and stairwells," said Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer.

According to police, Rosenfeld pulled a .22-caliber handgun from his waistband during the struggle and one officer — 11-year-veteran Chris Anderson — fired a single gunshot, striking Rosenfeld in the abdomen.

Rosenfeld was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he died a short time later, police said.

As a result of the shooting, police said, Anderson, 39, and fellow officers Brian Wicker, 26, and Wayne Goodman, 43, have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is routine after an officer-involved shooting.

Court records show that Rosenfeld had previously been convicted of burglary, arson, attempting to elude police and unlawful possession of firearms.

He served 18 months in prison for a 1989 firearms violation and 16 months in prison for attempting to elude police in 1995, court records show.

According to neighbors, Rosenfeld had spent five years in Israel and dreamed of studying to be a rabbi.

Seattle Times' news partner WedgwoodView.com quotes Rosenfeld's mother, Judy Rosenfeld, as saying that her son had struggled for years with mental illness.

"At least now I know he's at peace," she told the neighborhood blog.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times staff reporter Jennifer Sullivan and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.