An Auburn man is recovering after being ambushed and shot as he left his church.
It happened outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auburn on Wednesday just before 9 p.m.
KIRO 7 spoke with the family of Clynn Wilkinson, who says he locked himself in overnight when two armed suspects approached him.
“They told my husband to hand over the keys a few times, but he said he didn’t have them,” said Wilkinson’s wife, Lisa.
Lisa said the suspects knocked her husband to the ground.
“They pushed him down and they were kicking him and hitting him with their guns and then they shot him while he was down,” she said.
According to police, both suspects fled the scene.
Wilkinson’s family told KIRO 7 he was shot twice in the torso.
Police say he managed to cross the street to 7-Eleven, where people helped him call 911.
“He is very determined. I don’t know what the option would have been if he couldn’t. That’s the only way he can really get help,” Lisa said.
He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.
Wilkinson’s children say they were scared to find out what happened. They are just happy that their father survived the shooting.
“I’m happy to be here with my father and see him recovering well,” said Emilia Moreno, Wilkinson’s daughter.
“He is very resilient. He’s very resilient, like my mom said, and so he’s joking around, he’s doing well,” said his son, Clynn Wilkinson III.
The Wilkinsons believe violence in Auburn is out of control and are calling on the city to impose more consequences for criminals.
“It’s getting worse and it’s very clear. It doesn’t hide. It’s out in the open,” Clynn added.
If you have any information about the shooting, you are asked to call the Auburn PD tip line at 253-288-7403.
