A man pulled out a gun while arguing with a motorcycle rider in a small town north of Leavenworth. He then lost his weapon to the other man, who shot him the leg, according to the Chelan County sheriff's office.
Both now face felony assault charges.
A 20-year-old man was traveling north by motorcycle on Chumstick Highway when he got into an argument with a 71-year-old stranger, leading to a fight around 2:20 p.m. Sunday in front of Just Plain Grocery & Gas, according to the sheriff's office.
It was a road rage thing that turned stupid," William Gibbs, the grocery store's owner, said in an interview Wednesday.
Security footage shows the two men kicking each other during an argument on a clear and sunny afternoon in the town of Plain, which sits in the foothills of the Cascades.
The older man pointed a gun at the 20-year-old, then dropped the gun while trying to knock over the man's motorcycle, according to the sheriff's office.
The younger man grabbed the gun and started moving away from the older man, who tried to approach him to recover the gun. The 20-year-old fired, hitting the man's left thigh, the sheriff's office reported.
The footage shows the older man collapsing to the ground and repeatedly screaming, "Kill me!" and "Give me my gun!"
According to the sheriff's office, the younger man asked a witness to call 911. The shooter also got a belt from the grocery store and used it as a tourniquet while waiting for police.
The wounded man was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to receive treatment for severe injuries. He was in satisfactory condition Wednesday, according to Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for the hospital.
The 20-year-old was arrested and booked into the Chelan County jail for investigation of assault in the first degree. The 71-year-old faces a charge of second-degree assault.
The Chelan County prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to inquiries about charging decisions.
The Seattle Times typically does not name suspects before they are charged.
This summer, Plain became a hub for hundreds of firefighters battling the sprawling Little Giant fire near Lake Wenatchee, as smoke flooded the surrounding valleys.
The store owner, Gibbs, was out of town on a trip to the Oregon coast when he heard about what happened back home.
"You would never think this would happen in our community, he said.
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