Seattle shootings on the rise despite dramatic increase in confiscated guns
May 13, 2015, 5:12 PM | Updated: May 14, 2015, 2:26 pm
The number of shots fired since the beginning of the year in Seattle is higher than its been in the past few years. (AP photo)
(AP photo)
The number of reported shots fired in Seattle is higher than it’s been in three years.
Seattle police responded to 146 reports of shots fired between Jan. 1 and May 11, 2015. That’s 31 more than in 2014 and 46 more than in 2013.
The number of guns recovered by police also went up dramatically this year, compared to 2014.
“There’s a correlation between the two,” Detective Drew Fowler said.
Between Jan. 1 and March 31, police recovered 252 guns. That’s a 76 percent increase over 2014, when 143 guns were recovered within the same time frame.
“We hope that we’re making progress,” Fowler said. “But until that number [of reported shootings] goes down more; we want to make sure every resident in every part of Seattle can feel safe.”
Though reports of shootings are up, there have been slightly fewer deaths and injuries as a result of them, compared to 2014. As of May 11, there were 23 gun-related injuries and 10 gun-related deaths detailed in 33 reports. Of those deaths, eight were suicides and two were homicides. Those numbers are down from 2014, when there were 25 gun-related injuries and 14 gun-related deaths.
As an officer, Fowler observed the “vast majority” of the time a gun is fired, the bullet doesn’t actually hit anyone. There could be many reasons for that, Fowler said.
The statistics released by the police department may provide trends, but can’t provide acute answers, Fowler said. It does give police information to work off of to help reduce crime before it gets out of hand.
