(2:34 PM NOTE: Briefing’s over now. Will replace the screengrab below with archived video when available)

2:04 PM: City and county officials are presenting a briefing on this morning’s shooting incident downtown (see our earlier coverage here), and the live video above is courtesy of Seattle Channel. We’ll update this with new-info toplines as it goes. **Click the “play” button for the live video.**

County Executive Dow Constantine begins with “commend(ations)” for both drivers involved this morning. And: “Metro is safe,” he insists. “This was an isolated incident. It happened on a Metro bus but (it could have happened almost anywhere) … (and) there are a lot of people out there with guns who shouldn’t have them. The safety of our drivers and our passengers is always our first priority.” He says he met with the injured driver, who wasn’t only “awake and alert” but was “in good spirits … and asked almost immediately, ‘how are (his) passengers?’ That is the kind of dedicated public servant we so appreciate.” He also expresses appreciation for the second driver, the Route 120 driver, who dealt with the suspect trying to “commandeer his bus” before police intervened.

2:07 PM: Mayor McGinn speaks briefly and turns it over to Seattle Police Interim Chief Jim Pugel. He offers this chronology:
–At 8:48 am, the 1st bus was southbound on 3rd Avenue near Union/University. 3 people boarded, were asked to pay, 2 exited, 1 did not, “began pacing back and forth in bus, made his way up to the operator … then physically assaulted the driver and then shot him at least twice.” People were fleeing the bus yelling “He’s got a gun.” Two officers were nearby. One rushed to help, one rushed to seek the suspect, who still had a revolver in sight, and was on the run, and “according to witnesses, turned and pointed the gun at officers several times. … The suspect continued southbound on 2nd Avenue toward Seneca Street … tried to get into (two other vehicles) … eventually engaged a Metro bus that had passengers on it and was coming up the hill .. at SW corner of Seneca/2nd … somehow the door came open, the suspect got on the bus, several people got off …” Other officers, including an assistant chief, were in the area, gave verbal orders, the suspect raised his gun once, was shot, raised it again, was shot again. Seven minutes elapsed between the first call and the end of the incident, says Chief Pugel, “which is phenomenal.”

Two passengers on the second bus (the Route 120 bus) suffered minor injuries but no one besides the first driver and the suspect were hit by gunfire, says Chief Pugel.

“Today was a day when one of our drivers unfortunately met an individual who clearly should not have been there, with that weapon, and we at some point collectively failed to pick up that danger … It’s not a transit issue,” says Constantine now, reiterating, “It’s not a transit issue. Transit is safe … I hope next time you board a bus that you will take a moment to thank your Metro driver.”

2:15 PM: They’re taking Q/A now. Chief Pugel is not confirming one TV station’s ID of the suspect, who has a significant background, but not ruling it out either. He says Nick Metz is the assistant chief who was in the area and joined in the “chase.” What about security on buses? County Executive Constantine is asked. He recalls the 2010 assault on a Metro driver (a West Seattle resident) and talks about ways they worked with the transit union on safety procedures since then, and a resulting decline in assaults on drivers. (A union rep is at the briefing, but so far has not spoken.) “We safely deliver millions of people per week to their destinations without incident,” Constantine reiterates. A Transit Police (part of the King County Sheriff’s Office) rep comments on this too, saying that several of their personnel got there fast. Regarding the alleged fare refusal that preceded this, he says that drivers are asked to request fares – but not engage beyond that.

2:23 PM: Is there video from either bus? Potentially, says Chief Pugel. They’re checking people’s phone video, too. Next, Mayor McGinn is asked about the recent call for more police downtown because of other violence. He reiterates that two police officers were “right on the scene when this occurred,” but says they’re evaluating the overall situation. Executive Constantine says he’s not going public with the 64-year-old, 14-year-veteran shot driver’s name until hearing from the driver’s wife that enough of their family has been told, that it’s OK to go public. Back to driver safety, he notes the request for enclosing drivers, and says the drivers themselves considered them more of an impediment to their job than protection. The transit union rep, president Paul Bachtel, now speaks and says the enclosures were tested multiple times in the past, with 300 operators surveyed after testing 30 shields. The union executive board rejected them for reasons including glare, a change in relationship between drivers and passengers, feedback from other agencies that had tried them. He also reiterates that operators are told to only ask for the fare once, and some, if they feel it’s unsafe, don’t do that at all.

Executive Constantine repeats that drivers are all “a bit shaken up today … so your kind words will mean a lot to them.” And at 2:29 pm, the briefing is over.

2:34 PM NOTE: Though traffic conditions weren’t discussed in the briefing, the latest from Metro is: “Buses traveling into Seattle on NB Alaskan Way Viaduct rerouted via 3rd Ave w/ no stop on Seneca west of 3rd. SB viaduct buses are OK.” And: “Buses still rerouted off 2nd Ave between Stewart & Spring. Board/exit all 2nd Ave routes at regular stops N of Stewart, E of 3rd or S of Spring.”

3:01 PM UPDATE: And now from Metro: “Most transit service has resumed normal operations.” They will have additional updates here throughout the PM commute.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Just tweeted by SPD: “Streets reopened downtown. 2nd Ave still closed between Spring and University but should be opening shortly.”

4:53 PM UPDATE: SPD has now confirmed that the suspect has died. Also, the Seattle Times (WSB partner) has identified the injured driver as 64-year-old Deloy Dupuis, whom public records say lives in Burien.

(SCROLL DOWN for newest info – we’ll update this throughout the day)

(Photo from WSB reader KD: Route 120 bus with bullet holes in windshield)
9:15 AM: This is a developing story downtown, and it’s affecting traffic off the Viaduct, so we’ll be tracking it separately after a brief mention in traffic coverage: Police report a Metro bus driver was shot downtown; this is a multi-scene investigation, and one scene is near 2nd and Seneca.

(WSB reader photo: Part of the scene downtown, in the 2nd/3rd/Seneca/University area)
According to radio traffic, the shooting suspect then was shot by police. And an officer is also being treated for a minor injury, either from being grazed by a bullet, or from broken glass. Streets affected include 2nd/University/Seneca so far. More to come.

9:24 AM UPDATE: We’re still awaiting word from Metro with details on the affected buses. One WSB reader has texted to say a Route 120 bus was involved and passengers are being held to give statements to police. Police say the driver, 67 years old, was shot at 3rd and Union; the suspect is reported to have then gotten on another bus and police shot him at 2nd and Seneca.

9:32 AM UPDATE: The 120 passenger we’re hearing from says it’s hard to recall what happened among “lots of chaos,” but “somebody was pounding on the front door” of their bus.

9:49 AM UPDATE: Thanks to KD for the photo of the Route 120 bus that was involved, added atop this story. Here’s what SPD Blotter has just posted, saying (as a commenter notes) that the driver was shot on a Route 27 bus. It appears the suspect was subsequently trying to get into the 120 bus, which would correlate with our earlier tipster’s report that “the driver saved (us).”

10:08 AM: Metro has sent an alert that Route 120 and RapidRide D (post-C) are having reroutes downtown because of this. Meantime, some links for citywide coverage:
Seattle Times (WSB partner)
KING5.com
KIROTV.com

10:37 AM: Ari G texted that many buses downtown are being rerouted onto 1st and you might find yourself having to flag one down. Meantime, SPD has just updated its report, including this information on conditions, including at least two more people reported hurt, and the latest on how the investigation is affecting things downtown:

The 67-year-old Metro driver’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

The suspect—who is in his 30′s or 40′s—is in critical condition and is being transported to Harborview.

A 32-year-old officer also sustained minor injuries in the incident, possibly from broken glass, and was taken to Harborview.

A second officer, who is in his 50s, was also taken to Harborview for treatment for a medical condition.

Finally, a female passenger sustained minor bruising while evacuating the second bus.
Police are actively working to process a very complicated series of crime scenes, and traffic throughout downtown will likely be significantly impacted today due to necessary street closures.
For downtown workers looking to get back in their offices: If your office is blocked off by police tape, please contact an officer near the police line, provide work ID if possible, and ask to pass through to your office.

11:29 AM UPDATE: First, the latest on the shot bus driver, via Twitter:

Executive Constantine says the injured bus driver wants everyone to know he is going to be OK. -Staff pic.twitter.com/xVnLVDOceP

— Dow Constantine (@kcexec) August 12, 2013

Also, police have clarified that the suspect did get aboard that second bus (the Route 120 coach pictured above) before they shot him – they have again updated their SPD Blotter story here.
12:59 PM UPDATE: County and city authorities (SPD, Metro, etc.) plan a 2 pm media briefing on all aspects of this situation. The county is hoping to make a live stream available. KING tells us they plan to stream it. Will link stream(s) here when links are available, and will update the info as it happens.

2:02 PM UPDATE: Go here for live coverage and briefing notes.

3:03 PM UPDATE: If you’re checking here for PM commute information: Metro says, “Most transit service has resumed normal operations.” If any changes to that, they’ll have it on their site.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Making note of this on all of our coverage pages related to this – just tweeted by SPD: “Streets reopened downtown. 2nd Ave still closed between Spring and University but should be opening shortly.”

5 PM UPDATE: SPD says the suspect has died. Meantime, police, SDOT and Metro all confirm streets/buses are back to normal.