<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Seattle cop from Yakima, Hudson Kang, recovering after being shot

By Miles Jay Oliver, Yakima Herald-Republic
Published: April 23, 2017, 2:42pm

Yakima — A close friend of Hudson Kang, one of three Seattle police officers shot Thursday while responding to an armed robbery, said the Yakima native appears to be making a good recovery.

“He’s doing very well. He’s in very good spirits, able to laugh and has had many, many visitors from across the state,” said Joel Panattoni, a Yakima man who spent much of Friday with Kang at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.

Kang, 30, was the most seriously wounded of the three officers shot. Police said he suffered gunshot wounds to the chin and rib cage. Initially listed in critical condition, he was upgraded to serious but stable on Friday.

Surrounded by family and friends, he continues to improve, Panattoni said.

Those who knew Hudson Kang as he was growing up in Yakima say they weren’t surprised to see him become a police officer.

For at least two years while at Eisenhower High School, he worked as a floor guard at Skateland in Union Gap, said Connie Eisenzimmer, co-owner of the business.

He was responsible for keeping an eye out for injuries and quieting possible disturbances. Kang was especially good at keeping the peace and preventing disputes from escalating, she said.

“He was always smiling and people always loved him,” Eisenzimmer said. “I thought he showed exemplary attributes to go into” police work.

“He’s an all-around great guy, fun to be around and makes everyone laugh,” said Panattoni, who met Kang 12 years ago when Kang was a youth leader for West Side Church.

Panattoni described his friend as a huge fan of the Seahawks and Mariners, but also a hard worker and great officer.

After graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2004, he attended Yakima Valley Community College and studied youth ministry at Trinity Lutheran College.

In 2010, Kang became a volunteer reserve officer with the city of Union Gap.

Kang was named Reserve Officer of the Year after being nominated by his peers in 2010, said Union Gap police spokesman Lt. Stace McKinley.

While serving with the Union Gap department, Kang developed close friendships with other officers and staff, many of which continue to this day, McKinley said.

In May 2014, he left to accept a position with the Seattle Police Department.

Nineteen months later, Kang was one of five Seattle officers nominated for a Lifesaving Award for helping to save the life of a suspect who had been shot after drawing two knives on an officer. At the time, Seattle Fire Department medics said they didn’t think the suspect would have survived without the efforts of Kang and other officers.

Police have identified three people they believe connected to Thursday’s robbery and shooting.

A 17-year-old female and a 19-year-old male were arrested. A third suspect, 19-year-old Damarius Butts, was found dead in a federal building after being shot by police.

Loading...