3 killed, 5 injured in string of Seattle shootings

SEATTLE — Three people were killed and five others were injured in four separate shootings in and around downtown Seattle early Sunday morning, police said.

The shootings were unrelated, according to an SPD blotter post. A law enforcement officer told KIRO 7′s Ryan Simms this was one of the most violent nights Seattle had seen in recent memory.

Around 1:48 a.m., officers responded to the 2200 block of 1st Avenue in Belltown for a fight disturbance that resulted in a shooting. The people involved left a nearby bar and went into the street and parking lot. When police arrived, they started breaking up the fight when they heard shots nearby. Officers found a man with gunshot wounds who died at the scene.

SPD officers arrested two suspects in connection with this shooting Sunday evening. One suspect was booked for investigation of homicide and the other was booked for aiming and discharging a weapon.

At 2:32 a.m., officers responded to multiple calls reporting a shooting near Occidental Square. Officers found two male gunshot wound victims. One was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition and the second man was declared dead at the scene. Three other victims went in personal vehicles to local hospitals. One of the victims that went to Harborview died from his injuries.

At 3:29 a.m., a woman with a gunshot wound arrived at a Bellevue hospital and said she had been shot near 12th Avenue and South Main Street in the Chinatown-International District. Police learned this shooting happened around 3:29 a.m.

Seattle police responded to another shooting at Cal Anderson Park around 4:42 a.m. with multiple victims. A man with a gunshot wound arrived at Harborview Medical Center shortly after in a rideshare car and said he had been shot at the park following a basketball game.

“This is what we’ve been talking about, the uptick in gun violence in 2020 into 2021. We’ve got to figure out a way to get the guns off the streets,” Diaz said in a video posted on Twitter.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Diaz released a statement Sunday afternoon about the shootings.

“While gun violence existed before the pandemic, we are seeing a nationwide increase of violent crimes across nearly every city in America including Seattle and our region. As people were coming back to enjoy Seattle’s nightlife, Seattle saw one its worst mornings of violence with four separate and unrelated incidents that escalated into gun fire. Moms lost their sons, friends lost loved ones, and five individuals were injured. And yet again, it is communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by this national epidemic,” Durkan said. “Tackling gun violence has no easy solutions. This level of gun violence in Seattle and our country cannot become our new normal, which is why we are moving forward with a multi-prong strategy in our region to take guns off the street, invest in community led solutions, create a comprehensive support system for young people at risk of gun violence, and appropriately hold individuals accountable for acts of violence. I also want to thank the officers and first responders who quickly responded to secure the separate scenes and provide aid – nearly every officer in our city responded to these incidents while continuing urgent 911 calls.”

“We continue to see a rise in Seattle’s deadly gun violence, and the Seattle Police Department has worked to address this violence while the number of SPD officers available to respond to these crimes is steadily decreasing,” Diaz said. “This isn’t just a staffing crisis. We have a public safety crisis. People armed with guns are preying on our communities and every shooting victim is one victim too many. Families are losing loved-ones and their trauma is real. However, lessening the devastation that is happening on our streets and in our homes is not something the SPD can do alone. We need everyone to encourage their friends and family members to put down their weapons and find ways other than violence to resolve their issues. This is something we all need to do together.”

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