On November 3, 1999, 43-year-old marine engineer Russell Brisendine was shot and killed during an attack at the Northlake Shipyard in Seattle. A former shipyard employee entered the office wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses and opened fire, killing Brisendine and 27-year-old co-worker Peter Giles; two other men were wounded. Brisendine was taken into surgery but later died of his injuries.

A mountain biker later found a backpack in nearby Gasworks Park that contained a 9mm handgun, camouflage clothing, and a holster. The handgun was linked to the shipyard shootings, and DNA from the holster matched former employee Kevin Cruz, who was arrested. Prosecutors said Cruz harbored a grudge over a small disability claim against the company. Cruz was charged with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder and was convicted by a King County Superior Court jury; the jury deadlocked 8-4 for death, so he received life without parole.