Minutes before Seattle Mayor Ed Murray gave a live address on the homelessness crisis in the city, police responded to five victims who were shot in The Jungle – a longtime homeless encampment under Interstate 5 near Beacon Hill.
Last fall, Murray declared a civil state of emergency because of the growing number of homeless people in Seattle and King County.
“Too much of the debate, energy and resources have been focused on short-term strategies. We must shift that focus to longer-term solution,” he said on Tuesday. I” believe that we can come together to build a new federal agenda to support affordable housing and to address homelessness.”
Seattle residents have raised concerns about homeless encampments other than The Jungle, and about transients living in RVs in multiple Seattle neighborhoods.
As Murray’s speech ended, KIRO 7 News learned a gunman was still on the loose on Airport Way South near South Seattle after The Jungle shooting.
No one has been arrested after shots were fired around 7:15 p.m. Details are still unfolding about the victims.
KIRO 7 News is waiting to hear from the mayor on Tuesday’s breaking developments on Airport Way South.
About the Jungle
The Jungle has been a homeless encampment for decades and has been the site of previous homicides. On June 27, 2009, Bernardino Maceo-Toirac, 55, was shot multiple times in The Jungle. Officers said Maceo-Toirac was shot after an argument with another person who camped in the area.
On July 22, 2009, Warren J. Bothwell was killed in The Jungle, roughly two blocks from where Tuesday’s shooting happened. Police found Bothwell with a chest wound near the 1700 block of Airport Way South. Bothwell died at the scene.
No charges were filed in either of the 2009 homicide cases.
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Cox Media Group
