Seattle Police respond to 3 deadly shootings in less than 4 days

Seattle Police: 3 murders in less than 4 days

Seattle saw three deadly shootings in less than four days; officials warn that the summer months are notorious for increased violence.

SEATTLE - Seattle saw three deadly shootings in less than four days; officials warn that the summer months are notorious for increased violence.

Early Monday morning, Seattle Police responded to the 1000 block of East Pine Street. Someone shot a woman and left her bleeding out in the parking lot. First responders tried to save her, but she died.

Investigators have not said what led up to the violence but have said they don’t believe she was targeted for any reason. They also would not release any information on a suspect or if anyone was arrested.

"Can someone do anything about this? Can someone stop this? Do we have the power, the authority? Who is going to keep us safe," said Ruth Rivas.

Monday’s early morning deadly shooting was the third incident in less than four days in Seattle.

Seattle Police responded to the New Holly neighborhood on Thursday night for another deadly incident. The victim in that shooting was a 14-year-old boy. Neighbors told FOX 13 Seattle the boy was playing outside his home when he was shot.

Three teenage suspects were arrested in connection to that case. An official with the King County Prosecutor’s office told us the teens were arrested for investigation of homicide, but SPD has still not sent over the case. The teens appeared in JV court Monday on unrelated charges.

Then, on Sunday morning around 4:30 a.m., SPD responded to the Chinatown International District for another deadly shooting. Investigators said they found a 35-year-old man shot at the 500 block of 8th Avenue South, which is near the Wing Luke Museum.

First responders tried to save the victim, but he died at the scene. Police do not know what led up to the violence and have not arrested anyone.

Seattle Police Deputy Chief Eric Barden issued the following response:

"There has been an alarming increase in violence over the last few days. While we are behind last year's pace for homicides, we recognize the tragic impact gun violence has on victims and our community and recognize the need for continued action. So far, we have had 28 homicides in 2024, and last year on July 1st we had 34.

"We know that violence, and particularly gun violence, peaks in the summer months. That is why we proactively launched our Community Violence Task Force in early April focused on addressing gun violence. We are focusing on cases involving likely repeat shooting suspects in hopes of reducing overall gun violence and shots fired. We continue to deploy our limited resources as efficiently as possible to address gun violence. While our patrol staff was spread particularly thin with Pride events this weekend, we deployed emphasis efforts at known hot spots to deter gun violence.

"Our detectives will continue to follow every lead to bring justice to the victims and families of recent gun violence."

A spokesperson for the mayor provided us with this statement:

"The recent homicides and gun violence are tragic and unacceptable, and our hearts go out to the families of the victims. Mayor Harrell believes that every person in our city deserves to feel safe and is committed to a holistic approach to improving public safety and reducing crime in Seattle, recognizing issues created over the course of years cannot be solved overnight.

"We know there is more work to be done to keep Seattle residents and communities safe, take guns off our streets, and hold those who cause harm accountable. Our office will continue with efforts to support a well-staffed police department, ensuring SPD has the resources to respond to the needs of the community and conduct swift, thorough investigations. We have been seeing encouraging signs following the passage of the new police contract and process and advertising enhancements: applications have increased two-and-a-half times, from an average of 5.6 per day last year to more than 14.1 per day.

"In addition to law enforcement, we will continue to advance community-based, upstream efforts to address gun violence, which has historically increased during the summer months, and prevent crimes before they occur through the Seattle Community Safety Initiative, King County Regional Peacekeepers Collective, and our recent Executive Order which invests $2 million towards youth violence prevention, intervention, and interruption.

"Addressing public safety concerns is an ongoing challenge and will take a holistic approach, and Mayor Harrell remains committed to advancing innovative, effective, and proactive solutions that help keep all communities safe."