3 women injured in targeted North Seattle shooting near Aurora Avenue; police search for gunman

Three women are recovering after what Seattle police described as a targeted shooting early Thursday in North Seattle that left one woman with multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers responded just after midnight to reports of multiple gunshots in the 1100 block of N. 96th St., about two blocks west of Licton Springs Park and near Aurora Avenue North.

When officers arrived, they found an abandoned silver Ford riddled with bullet holes. A short time later, investigators learned that three women had arrived at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Police said one woman suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center. The other two women were treated for injuries caused by shattered glass. All three women are expected to survive.

Detectives believe the women were sitting inside the Ford when a dark-colored sedan pulled in front of them. Investigators said a suspect got out of the sedan, opened fire on the vehicle, then got back into the car and fled south on Aurora Avenue North.

‘Women and children continue to be targeted’: Council members call for more action on Aurora

Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez said the traffic barriers put up along Aurora Avenue to curb violence aren’t doing enough to keep out criminals.

“Aurora must remain a priority for our city,” Juarez, whose district includes north Aurora Avenue, said in a statement. “Women and children continue to be targeted. Crime and sex trafficking are not going away. Traffic barriers are good, but they are not enough. More needs to be done.”

We will continue to work with Seattle Police, the Mayor’s Office and City Attorney Evans’ office to address crime in this area,” she continued. “That is why we support the proposed cross-deputized Vice Prosecutor position and will continue our work on the Public Safety Committee.”

Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle echoed Juarez’s concerns.

“The three women who were hurt in last night’s shooting remind us of what is happening to girls and young women on our streets and in the neighborhoods surrounding them,” Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said in a statement. “We need a comprehensive, non-stop effort that uses any and all tools available, 24/7. We cannot do anything less — incidents like this are not acceptable.”

The shooting happened hours after Juarez discussed ongoing public safety concerns along the Aurora Avenue corridor during an appearance on Seattle Channel.

“In the last, I’d say five years, six years, it has gotten more violent and more predatory,” Juarez said. “We’ve had more sex trafficking, more violence, and gun violence and drugs.”

Full-time prosecutor to focus on crimes along Aurora Avenue

Juarez said she supports hiring a full-time prosecutor focused on crimes along Aurora.

“They’ll be cross-deputized between King County and the City of Seattle, situated in the city attorney’s office, to look at these crimes,” she said.

The proposal follows efforts by residents who installed their own barriers to discourage traffic and reduce gun violence after they said they counted more than 100 shootings over the last couple of years.

Juarez said she’s also proposing a new ordinance to empower Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes to order the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to close side roads into neighborhoods if deemed unsafe.

“My goal before I leave is to make sure that some of those remain permanent and give Chief Barnes the authority, when they believe and deem that there is criminal activity, that the chief of police, on that word, can go to SDOT and say, ‘I believe these streets are unsafe and for these reasons I would like them closed for three months, six months, two years. I don’t know,'” Juarez said. “You literally have gun violence, you have bullets flying, and so we need it shut down.”

Anyone with information about the most recent shooting is asked to contact the Seattle Police Department.

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