‘Over 100 additional shootings’ in Seattle compared to this time last year

“We continue to see more victims being shot each year,” Interim Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said.

A few Seattle leaders held a news conference Tuesday morning to address the recent surge in gun violence. This conference came after six shootings took place across Seattle over the weekend, one of which left two people dead at a North Seattle apartment building. But Diaz says that’s just the latest in what’s been a disturbing trend.

“So far, year to date, there have been over 100 additional shootings compared to the same time last year in 2020,” Diaz said.

Officers are digging in to these investigations, but the big spike in shootings combined with the loss of nearly 300 officers makes it a struggle.

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Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen, who was also part of the news conference Tuesday, said the council can help by supporting the mayor’s proposal to use money saved from officers leaving to focus on hiring and keeping officers. Most councilmembers, though, have been opposed.

“We are hearing more and more from constituents about concerns,” Pedersen said. “So I think that there’s new information councilmembers can consider.”

He’s hopeful councilmembers can get behind the proposal.

Chief Diaz says it’s going to take a major community effort to push back on what he says is the relentless threat of violence. Law enforcement and lawmakers have previously pointed to a larger, concerning trend of increased gun violence across King County.

The Seattle Police Department added extra units to Pioneer Square, Belltown, and the downtown core in late July, following a separate slew of shootings spanning a single weekend, ranging from Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park to Pioneer Square’s Trinity Nightclub.

The KIRO Radio Newsdesk and reporter Hanna Scott contributed to this report.

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