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Two killed, three injured in ‘Jungle’ shooting

The wooded greenbelt below the confluence of I-90 and I-5 was the scene of a deadly shooting Tuesday night that killed two and sent three more to the hospital.

UPDATE (2/1/16): Seattle Police arrested three teenage suspects — ages 13, 16, 17 — six days after the incident. Officers took the suspects into custody on Monday just after 5 PM on 4th Ave S near an I-90 onramp.

Original Report: Police searched the area known as The Jungle where many homeless encampments are located. There were no arrests:

Detectives continue to investigate tonight’s shooting and believe the five victims were specifically targeted.

Two men were killed in the incident and one woman remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. One man and a woman are also in serious condition.

Police are asking anyone with any information about the case to call SPD’s Violent Crimes tip line at (206) 233-5000.

Tuesday’s killings came amid debate over chronic areas of illegal camping in Seattle and on a night when Mayor Ed Murray was scheduled to broadcast a live address on homelessness in the city. Seattle is slated to spend more than $47 million on homelessness in 2016.

The greenbelt area and state property around I-5 is heavily used by campers throughout the city — including below Capitol Hill and the downtown convention center and on the south end of the East Precinct around Yesler Terrace. In March 2015, a homeless woman was shot to death in the greenbelt area below Yesler Terrace. Though sometimes described in nightmarish terms by law enforcement, the areas can be places of shelter and safety for some. The persistent use of these areas has lead some to call for more resources to make the camps safer and better deal with the trash and human waste.

In September, CHS reported that SPD was ready to begin enforcing no trespassing on state land along I-5 without the presence of a state official under a new agreement with WSDOT.

 

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bb
bb
8 years ago

Hasn’t this camp been around since about the Hoover administration?

RWK
RWK
8 years ago

SPD is enforcing trespassing on state land under and along I-5? You could have fooled me…..that is not happening, in fact it’s increasing.