Burien resident Carolyn Piksa pleaded not guilty on March 25 to a first degree assault charge for allegedly shooting a co-worker on March 8 in North Seattle, and told authorities after her arrest she was trapped in a “game of manipulation” involving her victims.

Piksa, 46, is being held on a $1 million bail in advance of her case setting hearing in King County court on April 8.

According to court records, Piksa allegedly shot 65-year-old Bill Keller in the chest at a Parks Dept. building, and then threatened another employee, Cynthia Etelamaki, with a gun at a nearby facility (she also faces a second degree assault charge for that incident). Park Dept. buildings were locked down for a good portion of March 8 while authorities searched for their suspect. She was arrested later that day at her S. 115th St. home in Burien.

Charging documents in the case show Piksa, who went by the name “Zoom,” was a long time Seattle Parks Dept. employee who went to a Parks building where Keller was stationed shortly before 2 p.m. on March 8.

After her arrest, Piksa told authorities she went to confront Keller with a .357 caliber revolver because she believed he and Etelamaki were involved in a “game of manipulation” that included having cell phone contacts removed from her phone, taking money from her bank account and making noises at night that kept her from sleeping, according to court records.

Piksa reportedly told detectives she confronted Keller in his office and asked him a series of questions about the “game,” and “I knew he wasn’t saying what should have been said.” She told police she pulled out her gun and pointed it at Keller. Keller later told police he asked Piksa not to shoot him in the head. Instead, she allegedly shot him in the chest.

Court documents show Piksa said she went directly to the Bitter Lake Community Center to confront Etelamaki with similar questions about the alleged manipulation. “Piksa told detectives that she would have shot Etelamaki if she had received the wrong answers from her during their conversation,” according to court papers. She allegedly threatened to shoot Etelamaki, but instead stole her purse and fled.

Serving a search warrant at Piksa’s Burien home later that day, police said they found two firearms, including the .357 revolver allegedly used in the shooting.

Both Keller and Etelamaki said they had few interactions with Piksa leading up to the incident, and there was no known friction.

Court documents show Piksa told detectives it was time to “put my cards on the table,” and “Now I’m out of the game,” after her arrest.