Tag Archives: gun violence

Hollingsworth hears concerns after another day of gun violence in District 3

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Hollingsworth talks with attendees at a public safety forum session earlier this month (Image: CM Hollingsworth)

With reporting by Hannah Saunders

Seattle Police swarmed the busy area between Pratt Park and Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park in the Central District after reports that a teen opened fire in the middle of a street fight late Tuesday afternoon.

Police said they found shell casings scattered in the street in the just before 5 PM incident and made one arrest. At least one other teen fled police on foot, according to East Precinct radio updates. Somehow, nobody was hit in the melee.

The sight of a teenager opening fire as a group brawled around her near a sunny Seattle park on a Tuesday afternoon was the latest in a burst of gun violence in the city that has sparked concern for parents at nearby Garfield HIgh School and inspired a swirl of community public safety meetings and an increased police presence in nearby neighborhoods.

Tuesday night, Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth held her fourth and final in a series of public safety meetings around District 3 with a session at Capitol HIll’s Seattle Central College where the ongoing shootings dominated the discussion.

It has been a challenging introduction to City Hall for the first-term councilmember who shaped much of her campaign around a pledge to be responsive to concerns about public safety and increased spending on police while also building social and community programs to address the root causes of inequity and addiction that fuel crime in Seattle.

The community meetings are a test of that platform. One community asked Tuesday night why there is so much gun violence occurring in D3. Continue reading →

Mayor to launch series of public safety forums to focus on Seattle’s ‘top issue’

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The CARE car — Seattle leaders hope to grow the city’s still tiny Community Assisted Response and Engagement effort (Image: City of Seattle)

Seattle leaders including Mayor Bruce Harrell and the new members of the Seattle City Council have promised a new focus on public safety in the city. Thursday night, Harrell will begin an initiative to address crime and street disorder in Seattle with a series of forums including meetings in each of the Seattle Police Department’s five precincts where the mayor says he is inviting the public to hear “his vision for creating a safer Seattle.”

“Public safety is not just our first charter responsibility as a City, it is the top issue for our community today. I look forward to meeting with neighbors to hear their concerns and ideas, and to share the actions we are taking,” Harrell said in Tuesday’s announcement of the Thursday night forum.

It’s not clear why the Harrell administration provided only a few days notice on the forum. In-person attendance will require registration. The forum will also be streamed live by the city.

Harrell said this week’s session will be followed by additional forums held across the city, one in each of SPD’s five precincts including the East Precinct covering Capitol Hill and the Central District. Continue reading →

Hollingsworth ramps up District 3 public safety meetings

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A recent D3 meeting (Image: CHS)

Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth has ramped up her schedule of community public safety meetings as she meets with communities across District 3.

The representative will meet with constituents on public safety matters again Tuesday night only two weeks after a previous meeting in the series last week held in the North Capitol Hill area. CHS reported here on that session including debate over a plan for a “Technology Assisted Crime Prevention Pilot” that would include deploying cameras and acoustic gunshot location technologies in hot spot areas of the city.

Hollingsworth’s office says the meetings are part a trio of sessions planned in a row, each in a different area of the district.

Continue reading →

Three injured in shooting at Capitol HIll’s Garage Billiards

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(Image: SPD)

Three people were injured late Saturday night in a shooting at Capitol HIll’s Garage Billiards. Police say one victim was in critical condition.

According to East Precinct radio updates, police and Seattle Fire were called to the Broadway business south north of Madison just before 11:30 PM to a report of multiple shots fired. The shooting followed a reported assault call at the venue involving two groups. Callers reported around nine shots fired. Continue reading →

A debate over Seattle’s ‘Technology Assisted Crime Prevention Pilot’ plan at the District 3 public safety meeting

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Report: ShotSpotter wastes officers time, provides little help in court, targets overpoliced communities — syracuse.com

Last week’s D3 meeting (Image: CHS)

Tuesday brings the final day of public comment on a roster of “Technology Assisted Crime Prevention Pilot Technologies” being pushed toward deployment in Seattle by Mayor Bruce Harrell and proponents of boosting the city’s struggling police department with better surveillance and intelligence systems.

The proposal would create a plan “a new public safety program that will combine a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) System with an Acoustic Gunshot Location System (AGLS) integrated with Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) software together in one view,” the administration says. Last year, the Seattle City Council approved Harrell’s request for $1.5 million in the 2024 budget to test acoustic gunshot detection systems like ShotSpotter.

Supporters say the new surveillance system would help boost the department’s ability to quickly respond to gun violence and knock down the city’s record pace of homicides. But examples of real world deployments show the tech doesn’t necessarily work as advertised and can actually hinder police response.

With a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday night and online feedback also being gathered for the meeting, District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth heard more from constituents at the latest in her office’s monthly public safety meetings held last week.

In the meeting held at North Capitol Hill’s Seattle Prep, there was a stark divide on the hopes around ShotSpotter. Continue reading →

One shot in arm in 24th Ave shootout on deadly night of gun violence in Seattle — UPDATE

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Seattle Police investigated an apparent shootout that left one person with non-life threatening injuries near 24th Ave and Columbia on a night of gun violence around the city including a fatal shooting in the International District.

Multiple callers reported shots fired in the Central District around 10:45 PM Wednesday. Arriving officers found one person with a gunshot injury to the arm and shell casings from multiple weapons on the ground, according to East Precinct radio updates.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene to treat the male patient who was transported by private ambulance in stable condition for further treatment. Continue reading →

Hollingsworth holding 23rd & Union Public Safety Meeting over area gun violence

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An image from Hollingsworth’s first newsletter of the councilmember with Victoria Beach who recently retired as chair of SPD’s African American Advisory Council

Newly elected District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth will host “a candid conversation about community safety in the Central District” Tuesday night.

Hollingsworth announced the “23rd & Union Public Safety Meeting” during a Monday briefing of the Seattle City Council.

23rd & Union Public Safety Meeting With Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth

Come join Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and E. Union Street for a candid conversation about community safety in the Central District.

Tuesday, January 30th 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Midtown Square
2301 East Union Street

The session was organized following this nighttime Wednesday, January 23rd shooting incident that sent one person to the hospital and bullets flying into at least two nearby apartment windows at the Midtown Square mixed-use development on the southeast corner of 23rd and Union. Continue reading →

Man reported shot in head in E Jefferson shooting

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A man was reported shot in the head inside a vehicle near 20th and Jefferson just east of the Swedish Cherry Hill hospital Sunday night.

Seattle Police and Seattle Fire were called to the area in the 1900 block of E Jefferson just before 9:15 PM to a report of a male shot in the head.

Police were searching the area for possible suspects and a vehicle reported leaving the scene. Officers from areas outside the East Precinct were called in to assist with the search. There were no reported immediate arrests.

Seattle Fire provided aid at the scene before transporting the patient to Harborview. SPD reported the person shot was in critical condition.

UPDATE: SPD’s brief on the incident reports the 28-year-old was shot while driving on E Jefferson but says “the exact circumstances leading up to the shooting are unknown” —

Police learned the victim was driving westbound on East Jefferson past 21st Avenue when shots rang out. Passengers told police they thought the vehicle struck something in the road until they realized the driver had been shot. Homicide detectives and officers assigned to the Crime Scene Investigation unit responded to the scene. The Homicide unit will be leading the investigation. The exact circumstances leading up to the shooting are unknown and officers have not identified any suspects. If anyone has information about this incident, please call SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

 

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King County ‘Safer Schools Strategy’ focuses on individual ‘high-risk, high-need students’

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The King County Prosecutor has announced an initiative to assist area schools to address the ongoing wave of gun violence and school safety issues by identifying — and getting involved with — the highest-risk kids.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion says the “Safer Schools Strategy” rolled out to end 2023 focuses “on interventions at the student, school/district, and statewide levels” and is providing new resources and better coordination to improve King County school safety.

According to the announcement, a core element of the approach if focusing on individuals. Manion’s office says it began last year “notifying schools of students with pending felony firearm charges to improve safety planning.”

“This change was implemented in late 2023, and 30 youths have been identified with notification made to school authorities whenever possible,” the prosecutors say. Continue reading →

Police: Man nearly shot, woman pistol-whipped in dispute over Capitol Hill parking spot — UPDATE: Thursday night reported gunfire

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Police say a man was nearly accidentally shot in a gunfire incident earlier this week stemming from a dispute over a parking spot near Pike and Minor.

CHS reported earlier on the Tuesday night shooting incident but Seattle Police has released new information about the shooting and the altercation.

According to SPD, police were sent to the area around 7:40 PM to a report of a woman screaming and crying for help. A single gunshot was reported as police arrived. Continue reading →