Peter McKay, Latest News and the Reward Fund

I haven't been posting much to the blog because I've been slam-damn busy doing a whole bunch of bikey advocate type things and I haven't had time to write much about all that's going on. As I wrote last week, my friend Peter was shot while riding his bike. Members of two groups I'm proud to be a part of, the Seattle International Randonneurs and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, set up a reward fund through Crimestoppers. Gene Bisbee over at Biking Bis summed things up nicely so I'll save time here by using the text he wrote on his site:

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Some concerned Seattle area bicyclists have set up a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the nitbrains who shot bike commuter Peter McKay last week.

Peter, a member of Seattle International Randonneurs, was riding home to West Seattle after work on Thursday when someone shot him from a passing car.

Amazingly, he completed his ride home after the incident, although he felt pain with every breath. He found blood on his clothes and two small bumps when he arrived home. Doctors at the hospital found one BB pellet had penetrated his left lung, releasing air into his chest cavity. The other just missed his aorta and spinal cord.

Blog article

The 46-year-old calmly wrote about his experiences in his Peter McKay blog from his hospital bed at Harborview Medical Center --"Not a Typical Commute Home."

He was released from the hospital Friday evening and returned to commuting on his bicycle on Monday. In "A Few More Thoughts," Peter talks about the spectacular ride over the I-90 bridge, adding "We live in a very beautiful place."

I don't know if I could be that positive if I'd been through the same ordeal.

Reward fund

John's Ramblings blog reports that the Seattle International Randonneurs and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington have already collected $5,000 toward a reward fund. It will go to Seattle area Crimestoppers posters and public service announcements seeking information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.

In addition to bringing the perps to justice, publicity about the reward will show the public that the local cycling community is very serious about stopping this type of crime.

(See more about the reward fund at Tripieper Tales & Travels.)

Anyone can donate by mailing a check directly to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, P.O. Box 2904, Seattle, WA, 98111 with the notation Crimestoppers -- Cyclist Shooting Reward.

PayPal

Donations also can be made through PayPal (https://www.paypal.com), payable to donation@bicyclealliance.org. Again note that it's going to Crimestopppers -- Cyclist Shooting Reward.

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Peter McKay sent this note to the SIR mailing list. It shows Peter's spirit is bullet-proof and so is the spirit of all those who've responded:

Archive-URL: http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=sir.10711.0070.eml
Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:53:52 -0800
From: Peter McKay
Subject: [SIR] Thank you!!!

Dear Tim, Shan and the countless other supporters,

I never dreamed that my shooting would attract so much attention. It all overwhelms me. I apologize that I have responded directly to only a handful you. To all of you, thank you for your kind words and wishes for a speedy recovery.

I am passionate about riding my bicycle. Through the experiences during the last week, I learned that there are a great number of other individuals who share this passion. While Harborview cared for me, many individuals approached to share that they also ride their bicycles to work, similar to many of you. The tremendous outpouring of support from each of you reinforces the greatness of our bicycling community.

As my injuries do not prevent me from riding my bicycle, I continued my commuting on Monday. My physical healing continues. Any involuntary reaction, such as a sneeze or a burp reminds me that my tissue is still healing.

Thank you for all your support. I am honored to be a member of the bicycling community because we all care about the community in which we live and commute.

Sincerely,
Peter