Three people were killed and two were wounded Wednesday when a gunman opened fire inside a Seattle coffee house and then fled, police said.

Seattle Police Department Deputy Chief Nick Metz told reporters he did not know the motive for the 11 a.m. PDT shooting at the Cafe Racer Espresso in the city's University District, but another law enforcement source told The Seattle Times it may have been related to a domestic dispute.

Two men were dead at the scene and Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said a woman died at the hospital. Two other men were in critical condition, she said.

The gunman, who remained at large, was described as a thin white man, 30-40 years old, about 6-foot-1, with light brown curly hair, a goatee and beard. He was wearing a white-and-brown plaid shirt and dark pants.

A witness who said he used to work at the cafe told the Times the restaurant was generally quiet.

"They play folk music," he said. "Everybody is nice."

Doors were locked as a precaution on nearby elementary, middle and high schools, a school district spokeswoman said. Police later told the district it was safe for students to go home, she said.

The University of Washington, about 12 blocks from the shooting scene, alerted the campus community via social medial and e-mail but there was no lockdown, spokesman Norm Arkans said.

Police said a woman died in a second shooting Wednesday near Town Hall Seattle. The Times said it was not clear whether the two shootings were linked. (UPI)