Two deadly shootings renew concerns about violence ahead of warm weather

SEATTLE — Two men are dead following overnight shootings in two Seattle neighborhoods.

A man was found dead in front of a bar in Pioneer Square just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

The second deadly shooting came just four hours later in the nearby Chinatown-International District.

This violence has some business owners concerned. After all, evidence of the pandemic is still pretty visible around here. Masks are still being required at some places.

Several businesses have adjusted their hours or closed altogether. Now a new worry is the uptick in violent crime.

It was a rude wake-up call in the Chinatown-International District. Someone shot just before 6:30 a.m. this Saturday morning at 6th Avenue South and South Weller Street.

It is part of what many see as a sad and dangerous trend, and not just here.

“Yeah, you know, definitely in the back of your mind when you walk just through the streets,” said Sam O’Brien, Ballard. “And it’s sad that it’s come to this.”

Still, neither he nor most of those we met in the CID even knew about the shooting. And the streets here are bustling like any other Saturday.

That’s how we met 16-year-old Rowan Renn and his dad, Jim, of Queen Anne.

“I’m not really too concerned, honestly,” said Rowan. “Most of that stuff is kind of contained within itself. I don’t really think civilians have to worry. I do think businesses might want, yeah, to keep police on speed dial. I mean I’ve like seen police and firemen around here sometimes.”

The owner of the Cakehouse knows that all too well. Lam Cheung says his windows have been broken repeatedly.

“Over ten times breaking the window,” said Cheung.

He says it has happened so often that he has resigned himself to covering his large windows in plywood to cut down on costly repairs.

“One thousand for one window,” said Cheung.

In nearby Pioneer Square, a bit of crime tape is the only evidence of the shooting overnight. Seattle police officers were in the area when they heard shots. They found a man lying dead in the street.

It is just more bad news that people here worry could keep business away.

“Specifically for me, the idea that it might not be safe in Pioneer Square,” said Jonathan Fleming, owner of Pioneer Square D & E restaurant. “The reality is the violence is all over the city.”

Seattle police do not have any suspects in either shooting.

Anyone who knows anything about what happened here or Pioneer Square overnight is asked to call Seattle police.

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