SEATTLE – Two others have been shot, one fatally, in the fourth shooting in 10 days within the limits of the free protest zone established near downtown Seattle amid a national wave of protests over police violence.
The latest shooting, around 3 am Monday, has fueled tensions over what happens next in the protest area, known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest Zone, or CHOP.
A victim arrived at Harborview Medical Center at 3:30 a.m. from the CHOP area, transported there by doctors from the Seattle Fire Department, and died in hospital. Another man, taken to the hospital in a private vehicle, remained in critical condition in intensive care, a Harborview spokeswoman said. The names and ages of the men have not been disclosed.
Violence, with a total of six people shot in an area of the city known in the past as a partying corner of Seattle, known for its bars, restaurants, and colorful student-infused street life, has raised new questions about what will happen later.
The city has said it wants a return to normalcy in the occupied protest zone, and a reopening of the Police Department’s East Precinct, which was bricked up and abandoned when residents of the multi-block area were left in the hands of the police. Teams with heavy equipment arrived on Friday to begin breaking down the barriers set up by protesters after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May. But work stopped to avoid confrontation.
Mayor Jenny Durkan, a former United States attorney under President Obama, has been criticized by both the left and the right for her handling of the protests and the situation in particular in CHOP. At least three members of the nine-member City Council have called for her resignation over the police response to the protests, and President Trump tweeted that Seattle is out of control.
At least one lawsuit has been filed against the Mayor and Gov. Jay Inslee, alleging that allowing the CHOP zone to emerge endangers people living in the area. A crowd of protesters gathered at the mayor’s house on Sunday, singing for her to resign.
The first shooting occurred early in the morning of June 20. A 19-year-old man was shot and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A 33-year-old man was also shot nearby.
The second shooting occurred the following day. A 17-year-old boy who was shot was treated at Harborview Medical Center and released. Then two days later, police said they were investigating another shooting in the early morning hours near the protest area, with an injured person.
