Five individuals were wounded, with two in critical condition, following a mass shooting near a community event in Seattle on Friday night, according to local law enforcement. Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz revealed that a significant number of rounds were discharged during the incident. Investigators are currently working to determine if specific individuals were targeted.
The victims, all in their twenties, were rushed to a nearby medical facility. One of the victims has since been treated and discharged. The police department’s online statement indicated that the victims comprised four males and one female.
Chief Diaz explained that the shooting took place in a location where a community event was underway in the southern part of the city. He also noted that the city’s police force has seized the largest number of firearms in the past 15 years.
The city has been grappling with gun violence issues, with fluctuations in the rate of incidents. Diaz emphasized the urgent need to remove guns from the streets. Last month, Seattle recorded 65 incidents of shootings or reports of shots fired, a slight increase from the 60 incidents reported the previous year, as per police department data.
Despite an 8% decrease in the total number of shootings and shots fired compared to 2022, this year has seen a rise in incidents resulting in fatal injuries. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, speaking at the same press conference, lamented the fact that community leaders are risking their lives to safeguard their communities.
Mayor Harrell stressed the city’s efforts to foster a collaborative approach between law enforcement and community leaders to protect the city’s younger population. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that monitors such incidents, there have been 410 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023.