Weekend of shootings across Western Washington
Shootings erupted across Western Washington over the weekend, sending many to the hospital.
Seattle
Police arrived after the incident and found several casings at multiple locations around the 1200 block of Pine Street. Several nearby buildings and cars had their windows shot out, causing thousands of dollars in damages. Officers also found an "apparent" ghost gun.
No victims were located at the scene, however, about 15 minutes after the shooting, a 35-year-old man arrived at Harborview Medical Center with a bullet wound. He said he had been shot near the nightclub. A 32-year-old man also arrived at the hospital, but refused to provide details.
Also in Seattle:
- On Sunday afternoon, police responded to reports of a man who had overdosed on narcotics in Seattle's Chinatown/International District. Officers found the man slumped over on a park bench in Kobe Terrace Park, but they quickly discovered he was dead and had been shot.
- Seattle police say a man was shot and killed at an encampment near NE 96th Street and Aurora Avenue North. Officers found a 38-year old male victim shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday evening. That man was pronounced dead at the scene.
SPD is asking that anyone with information about the shootings to call its Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
Bellingham
Two groups got into a fight outside The Underground, a nightclub in downtown Bellingham, in the early morning hours of Sunday, the Bellingham Herald reports. Local police report that confrontation led to a 23-year-old man reportedly grabbing a gun, firing it, and injuring a 42-year-old man, a 30-year-old man, and 25-year-old woman. Police also say that another, unknown man fired a gun into the crowd, injuring a 20-year-old man in the leg.
One suspect was apprehended downtown. The second reported shooter was not found.
Mount Vernon
Five people are recovering Monday morning after being shot inside a Walmart in Mount Vernon.
Police report that two groups of men got into a confrontation inside the Walmart before 10 p.m. Sunday evening. They started shooting at each other. Three 19-year-old men from those groups were injured and taken to a local hospital.
Two bystanders — a 72-year-old man who was shopping, and a 24-year-old employee — were also injured in the crossfire.
Newcastle
King County deputies report that three men were slowly driving through the parking lot of Newcastle's Avalon Bay Apartments aiming to steal catalytic converters.
KIRO 7 reports that a resident confronted the men about their suspicious behavior and was promptly shot in the leg. The resident was armed himself and fired back, reportedly injuring one of the suspects as they drove away.
Other shootings
The weekend's shootings come after two incidents in Lynnwood last week. Two teenage boys died after they were shot around 9 p.m. Thursday, July 14 in Lynnwood's Spruce Park. Lynnwood police say they died from their injuries after being taken to a hospital. They were 15 and 16 years old.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate a drive-by shooting that happened in Lynnwood Wednesday night, when someone in a car opened fire on a group of teens walking along a street. The sheriff's office says detectives have reason to believe the incident is gang related and that the people involved know each other.
Also, troopers with the Washington State Patrol are advising drivers to think twice before getting involved in a road rage incident.
Trooper Robert Reyer says he and his colleagues have responded to 40 shooting incidents on highways in Pierce and Thurston Counties so far this year. A total of 30 such incidents were reported for all of 2021. There were three highway shootings within 24 hours last week.
According to a report from KIRO 7, WSP responded to 20 freeway shootings in King County between January and April of this year. That's about double the number for the same time period in 2021.
