Rainier Beach residents rally for safety after mass shooting
Aug 3, 2023, 4:04 PM
A Seattle Police Department vehicle. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department)
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz attended a community meeting in the Rainier Beach area Wednesday night to talk about safety following last Friday’s mass shooting at a Safeway store parking lot where five people were struck by bullets during a community event.
Chief Diaz told KIRO 7 TV the police department is taking action.
More on the Rainier Beach shooting: Gee Scott: ‘We need more police’ in Seattle’s Rainier Valley
“I want people to feel comfortable going about doing their work and really trying to bring the community together,” Diaz said, claiming a mobile precinct is now on site.
At least two people fired guns on the night of the shooting. Police have no suspects and have made no arrests. The victims are all recovering, as of this reporting.
Seattle police just released body camera footage of its response to Friday night’s mass shooting. The video showed some of the first officers responding to the scene, with the video footage blurring the victims’ faces to protect their privacy.
More on the released police video: Dramatic video shows Seattle cops responding to mass shooting
There was a significant turnout at Wednesday night’s Rainier Beach Public Safety meeting, where Diaz attempted to reassure residents after the mass shooting.
“I’m calling out the city council because you just can’t show up (to crime-problematic areas) when it’s an election year,” Seattle resident Victoria Beach said during the meeting, according to KOMO News.
Rainier Beach residents stated grocery stores aren’t readily available in the area, and if they are forced to shop elsewhere due to the increased violence, the nearest major grocery store would be miles away in Renton.
More from Police Chief Diaz: Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz optimistic about drop in violent crime
The Rainier Beach Safety Meetings have been underway since mid-June. The meetings were created to connect police leaders with community members to work on public safety concerns.
The percentage of nightlife-related shootings and shots fired nearly doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, according to Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) 2022 crime report. In 2023, Rainier Beach has witnessed 48 violent crimes through June, including 15 in May alone — the most in a single month since October 2018, according to SPD data. There were 106 instances of violent crime in Rainier Beach in 2022.
