Seattle police arrest three teenagers in connection to fatal Jungle shooting

Seattle police officers have arrested three male teenage suspects in connection to a fatal shooting at an illegal homeless camp in South Seattle last week.

Photos from the scene of the fatal Jungle shooting

The suspects are three males, ages 13, 16 and 17, and of Pacific Islander descent. The teens, whose names will not be released, are booked at Youth Service Center for investigation of homicide in the fatal shooting of two people on Jan. 26.

“It’s always shocking when young people are involved,” said Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “I was shocked when I heard all the ages. But it is a horrific crime and people have to be brought to justice.”

A handgun and car were recovered during the arrests. Detectives are inspecting the firearm to determine if it was involved in the shooting of five people in the Jungle. Jeannine L. Zapata, 45, and James Quoc Tran, 33, died of multiple gunshot wounds. Three others — a man and two women — are recovering at Harborview Medical Center.

“We know that there were at least two shooters at the scene,” O’Toole said, noting that the case is still an ongoing and an active investigation.

“There were definitely three people at the scene,” she said.

O’Toole said that detectives still believe that the shooting stemmed from low-level drug dealing.

“I certainly don’t think it was random. I think the parties knew each other prior to this event,” she said. “This was not a random attack.”

Police shut down a portion of 4th Avenue South at the I-90 west on-ramp to make the arrests at around 4 p.m. on Monday. The closure snarled traffic on nearby streets.

Several people were camped at the scene underneath the I-90 on-ramp.

Here’s where the arrests took place – right next to Century Link Field in #Seattle. pic.twitter.com/ZCUUoG9SYx

— Jillian Raftery (@JillianRaftery) February 2, 2016

Related: The Jungle has been a thorn in Seattle’s side for decades

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray released a statement thanking Seattle police for their hard work on the case:

“This violent crime shocked Seattle. Thank you to the team at the Seattle Police Department for your professionalism in pursuit of this investigation, resulting in these three arrests,” Mayor Murray said. “Our homicide investigators worked tirelessly to pursue leads and track down these suspects. We are also grateful for the efforts of our partners from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”

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O’Toole said the city is continuing its assessment of the encampment, which is not authorized by the city, to determine what should be done at the site. Murray said last week that particular encampment “has been unmanageable and out of control for almost two decades.”

In November, Murray and King County Executive Director Dow Constantine declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness, pledging more than $7 million to address the crisis.

The number of those living on the streets in Seattle has risen to 4,500 (19 percent since last year), according to a one-night count done on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.