Issaquah in shock after Lake Sammamish shootings

KOMO-TV STAFF

Residents of the normally quiet city of Issaquah were in a state of shock a day after gunfire broke out in Lake Sammamish State Park, leaving two men dead and four injured.

"It scares me because I thought Issaquah was a safe town," said resident Emily Miller. "This is the first time I've ever heard of anything like this happening in Issaquah."

Miller said she would "think twice about going to Lake Sammamish State Park again."

"I moved to the east side because I thought it was a safe neighborhood, but now I'm not sure after the shootings," she added.

She wasn't the only one who was troubled by the explosion of violence that came without warning on a classically beautiful Northwest evening.

"It was a beautiful, nice, sunny day -- everybody was celebrating and having a good time -- and then all of a sudden, chaos -- absolute chaos," said one woman who witnessed the shootings. "It's just heartbreaking to know that can happen -- just like that, in the blink of an eye."

Riley Hilliker, who was also at the park during the shootings, said he was "extremely shocked that this would happen at Lake Sammamish State Park.

"You would never think that this would happen here," he said. "It's such a nice place -- gang violence at a state park -- it's shocking."

Another man who was at the park during the shootings said it's "crazy" that shootings would break out out a state park -- or anywhere for that matter.

"This type of violence is uncalled for anywhere in our nation," he said. "We shouldn't have this happen here in America at all, basically. We need to get a handle on gun control and stop these things from happening."