The Burien Police Department and Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub have announced new plans in response to the shooting that took place in front of the downtown Burien bar last week.

The shooting occurred at about 1:25 a.m. on Sunday, October 19. Witnesses reported that an unknown shooter fired six shots into a crowd of people who had been visiting Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub on S.W. 152nd Street in Burien. The shooter stood across the street from the pub, on the corner in front of Burien Town Square Park, with what is believed to have been a 9mm handgun. Two men were wounded in the shooting, one in the foot and the other in the lower abdomen. Despite police arriving just one minute after being despatched, the shooter and his accomplice had already escaped on foot. The two victims were rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and are expected to make full recoveries.

In the week following the shooting, detectives could be seen investigating on the scene and interviewing local business owners and community members about the shooting. On October 22nd the Burien Police Department released a statement outlining their progress in working with Mick Kelly’s about the shooting.

"Burien PD and the owner of Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub have been working closely to ensure its patron’s and neighbor’s safety for many weeks. No one wants Burien residents to be affected by raucous or dangerous behavior. Mick Kelly’s is pleased to announce a complete format change on Saturday nights. It’s Mick Kelly’s desire to cater to area residents who wish to enjoy a good meal, beverage, and company in their own neighborhood.

To facilitate this format change, [Mick Kelly’s] will be closing early on Saturday night this weekend. Next weekend, everyone is invited to come enjoy a new and improved Mick Kelly’s!

Burien PD is committed to ensuring the safety of patrons and residents and will be working closely with the owner of Mick Kelly’s to support their efforts. We all agree that a zero tolerance approach is needed for anyone choosing to engage in inappropriate or illegal activity either inside or outside of any drinking establishment. Over-service, minors in bars, excessive noise, and DUI will not be tolerated. We are very pleased to work with Mick Kelly’s on these issues, and their willingness to be the first establishment to work so closely with us towards these goals. Burien PD has assigned resources to patrol downtown bars and will be enforcing appropriate state and city laws.”

While no further information about the shooting investigation has been released, witnesses report that the victims claimed to have no connection to the shooter and no suspect information has been reported.

On October 25, the Burien Police Department released a second statement on their social media accounts.

"We are bringing in extra officers tonight and will be focusing on bar checks this evening. We will be looking for and addressing things such as over-serving, underage drinking, unreasonably loud music, drug activity and DUI.

You have nothing to worry about if you're just having a good time and supporting Burien's bars, we are doing this for you!”

As promised, Mick Kelly’s canceled their scheduled late night plans and the neighborhood remained quite into Sunday morning.

The Highline Times will continue to post updates throughout the week on our website, www.highlinetimes.com and continue coverage of the Mick Kelly’s shooting in future print issues of the Westside Weekly.