Seattle Police investigated multiple reports of gunfire overnight around Capitol Hill but found no evidence of shootings early Friday morning.
The reports followed Thursday afternoon’s shooting at Garfield High School that sent a teen to the hospital.
They also followed gunfire on the Hill early Thursday morning where police found shell casings but no victims in a shooting at Pine and Belmont just after midnight. There were no reported injuries or arrests.
Early Friday around 12:45 AM, police were called to multiple reports of gunfire including reported incidents at 19th and Prospect and along Melrose. An officer reported at least one of the incidents was likely due to fireworks, according to East Precinct radio updates. A caller also reported gunfire involving private security shooting near 10th Ave E near E Mercer but it is not clear if SPD found any evidence of gunfire.
Police were also searching for a vehicle possibly involved in the reports.
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What a mess.
How about this as a compromise to address the pandemic of gun violence in the USA. It would take a while to see the results, but I see no other way. Perhaps I am myopic; I look forward to comments advising me of this.
Restrict access to guns: Ban all pistols and magazine fed semi-automatic weapons, and all other semi-automatic weapons capable of containing more than 6 rounds.
Severely punish those found in possession of banned weapons: Go draconian on the criminals’ asses. Possession is an automatic 5 years in the pen for first offense.
Conservatives would hate this because they’d lose their ARs & pistols, Liberals would hate this because of the draconian incarceration. But, this would drastically reduce the number of shootings while answering the Conservative talking point of “criminals wouldn’t comply with gun laws.”
Now do that for drugs.
War on Guns! War on Drugs! = Same
Drug markets brings misery, violence and gun armed, turf wars.
Go after the drugs you will reduce the Gun Violence.
Theres been a growing encampment in Tashkent Park for about a week. Possibly related, as the gunshots sounded very close to there. Stolen property and people experiencing crisis have also been observed at this encampment. City is aware but so far has done nothing to remove. The park is at risk of becoming a drug trade zone along with the LIHI low-barrier building at 420 Boylston a block away, often seen for drug/gang traffic all hours. Sharon Lee of LIHI says on site supervisor exists but no evidence of that being effective to curb ongoing drug trade is ever seen by neighbors. We see all hours shooting and at least two known OD.
Currently there is no encampment in Tashkent. I live across the street and walk through it daily with my dog. Last week there was one tent. On the sunny days there was a small group of folks hanging and eating at the tables. But isn’t that what they’re there for?
I heard a gunshot at 12:41, and after a couple similar bangs (I forget how many) there was the rapidfire crackling of firecrackers at about 12:46 and no more bangs I could hear after that. I was about a mile away.