Rising gun violence is sparking concern and outrage throughout the city of Seattle. Since June 6, Seattle police officers have responded to 21 shootings or shots fired.
Several neighborhoods like Belltown, Greenwood, Central District and beyond have seen their fair share of gun violence lately, especially after the deadly shooting outside Garfield High School last week and a wild gunfight near Aurora Avenue on Monday night.
The Seattle Police Department’s SWAT team was just steps away from the high school late Tuesday night after reports of shots fired at East Alder Street and 22nd Avenue.
Seattle police, along with several people in the area, say the alleged gunman shot outside an apartment window and held someone inside at gunpoint. Seattle police were able to enter, but the suspect and gun were gone. Investigators found several firearm accessories.
KIRO 7 spoke with several people in the area who heard several shots.
“I was really scared last night. I was too afraid to leave my house to walk the dogs,” said John Corbin, who has lived in the Central District for more than a decade.
One woman we spoke to has grown up in the Central District all her life, and like many who live there, she feels like the violence has simply gotten out of hand.
“It’s scary to walk through the streets. You don’t want to walk to the park. You’re just afraid to go to the store. Everything seems to be a battlefield,” she said.
Corbin told KIRO 7 that he feels there has been a lot more talk than action from Seattle city leaders when it comes to actually addressing the ongoing problem.
“And I feel like it’s only gotten worse in the last five years. We keep hearing about plans to do things to make things safer. And every year there are more gunshots, more robberies and more people are murdered,” Corbin said.
KIRO 7 reached out to Sue Rahr, interim chief of the SPD, for an interview about what is being done to address the problem. Chief Rahr was not available to speak on camera, but gave us this statement:
“I am deeply concerned about the level of gun violence that occurs in the city on a daily basis. I am actively digging into the available data and gathering additional information to identify patterns and better understand the factors driving this alarming trend.
However, in the short term, I am very concerned about keeping students safe in school, especially Garfield, for the remainder of the school year and as we plan for next school year.
Seattle Public Schools contacted me this afternoon and starting tomorrow there will be Seattle Police officers at Garfield High School.” – Interim Chief Sue Rahr
Mayor Bruce Harrell also couldn’t talk to us on camera. That’s why he made this statement, expressing his frustration over the past week’s gun violence.
“The recent gun violence in North Seattle and the Central District is deeply concerning and shows that more work needs to be done to keep Seattle residents and communities safe, get guns off our streets, and hold those who cause harm accountable for their actions. There is an urgent need for public safety to address the epidemic of gun violence, which is permanently tearing families and communities apart, disproportionately communities of color.
Ensuring effective public safety for every neighborhood in our city has been a top priority for Mayor Harrell since day one. This includes addressing the gun violence epidemic with law enforcement, new technology and community-based solutions. Firearms were used in 80% of homicides last year, and Seattle police recovered illegal firearms at a record pace, surpassing 1,500 by the end of the year. Officers must be able to continue this critical work to keep guns from getting out of the wrong hands and communities stay safe. That’s why we’ve made increasing police recruitment and retention a priority. We are seeing encouraging signs from these efforts and the new police contract, with an average of 250 people applying to SPD every month – the highest rate in two years.
Our office will continue to support upstream and community-based solutions to help prevent violent crimes before they happen, through efforts such as the Seattle Community Safety Initiative and the King County Regional Peacekeepers Collective. We look forward to the partnership between King County’s new Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the Regional Peacekeepers Collective.
For details on the Garfield investigation, please refer to the SPD. Mayor Harrell has been in contact with Interim Chief Rahr and the lieutenant working on this case and is pleased with the amount of resources they are dedicating to the investigation to make an arrest.
Addressing the gun violence epidemic will require a multifaceted approach, and Mayor Harrell will continue to promote innovative, effective and proactive solutions to help protect residents.” –Mayor Bruce Harrell
While many people KIRO 7 spoke with agree with the mayor’s sentiments, they also believe actions speak louder than words.
“There are a lot of things going on in our city that need to be addressed, but the most important thing to me is public safety,” Corbin said.
