Seattle police chief and mayor speak after violent weekend in Belltown
Sep 8, 2026, 2:29 PM
Interim Seattle Police Chief Andre Sayles speaks after multiple shootings occurred in Belltown over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Three separate shootings in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood on Sunday left three people dead and three others injured. No arrests have been made in connection with any of the incidents.
Investigators with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) believe the three shootings were unconnected.
City leaders, including Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles, addressed the weekend violence on Monday and outlined police response efforts alongside upcoming safety initiatives.
The first of those shootings happened after an illegal street racing takeover at 3rd and Clay St, which is right next to KIRO 7 studios and in the shadow of an apartment building.
KIRO surveillance video shows two people punching each other and then what appears to be at least one person opening fire.
Seattle police were called to the scene at 12:42 a.m., Detective Brian Pritchard wrote on the SPD blotter. Officers found two men who’d been shot. Both were transported to Harborview Medical Center, where one of them died.
Police said a man shot himself and two other people, killing one person.
About an hour later, a second shooting occurred down the street at 3rd Avenue and Blanchard Street.
Officers found a 23-year-old woman inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds to her head and torso. She was transported to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. Police stated they are reviewing a person or persons of interest in connection with that case.
Before midnight Sunday night, a third shooting took place near the waterfront at Elliott Avenue and Bell Street.
Police said a fight led to gunfire that killed a 17-year-old and left a 21-year-old hospitalized.
The violence drew concern from community members living near the crime scenes.
Elise Nicholl, a Belltown resident who lives nearby with her dog, Lucy, recalled the emergency response following the waterfront shooting.
“I saw a lot of police and emergency vehicles around here,” Nicholl said. She questioned what city leaders are doing to address the safety issues, asking, “What practical plan are you putting in place to make sure that these things aren’t happening?”
Seattle Police Department Interim Chief Sayles addressed the community’s concerns.
“Seattle Police Department is very aware of this violence,” Sayles said. “We’re taking a proactive approach.”
Sayles outlined plans to increase bike patrols and focus on individuals known to be involved in gun violence.
When asked if the department’s strategy differed from its previous efforts, Sayles noted that officers were positioned nearby and responded to the scenes within minutes.
“I don’t think it’s different,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things is if you look at the response time of these officers when they responded to these, it’s within minutes; that very rarely happens. We have officers in these dedicated areas; they’re a block or two away.”
Department data indicates overall shootings in Belltown are down compared to the same time last year.
Wilson also addressed the weekend violence while discussing the city’s technology and public safety policies. She previously paused a pilot expansion program for CCTV cameras and ordered cameras near sports stadiums turned off pending a privacy review.
“The audit will be complete around the end of September so that’s when I’ll be making a decision about the proposed expansion, and at the same time we’ve been working on a comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy that will be reflected in my proposed budget, which is coming out in a couple of weeks,” Wilson said.
She added that her upcoming strategy incorporates “focused deterrence,” a method that targets individuals committing the most crimes to prevent further violence.
