The recent series of deadly shootings in the Seattle area “can never be tolerated and Seattle should be a city where safety is an innate right,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell.
At a press conference on the 15th of August, Harrell reaffirmed his belief that the shooting tragedy should be stopped not only in Seattle but also nationwide, and that we need to increase the number of police officers and strengthen the laws related to gun control in Washington state.
During the weekend, from the 12th to the evening of the 14th, a total of seven shootings occurred in Seattle and Renton, killing one person and injuring 12 others. In a shooting near a pub near the T-Mobile Stadium, about 80 shots were fired indiscriminately, leaving an innocent 14-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Five of the 12 gunmen who were treated at Harborview Medical Center over the weekend were in critical condition and moved to an intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said. The ages of these 12 people ranged from 14 to 34 years old.
The King County Coroner’s Office identified the man who was murdered early in the morning of 13th near Carl Anderson Park on Capitol Hill as Mercer Roe. On the side of the road opposite the park, there was a temporary memorial for Roy decorated with flowers and candles.
The Seattle Times added that Roy was the 36th victim to be murdered in Seattle this year, a pace faster than last year, when 41 people were killed in shootings. Last year, there were fewer than 53 in 2020 the previous year.
Across King County, shootings left 42 people dead and 170 injured by the end of June. Last year, 88 people died and 372 were injured. This is a significant increase from 2020, when 69 people were killed and 268 were injured.
Mayor Harrell said at a press conference that the crux of the problem was very simple: “There are too many guns and the bad guys have too many guns.”
Harrell had set a goal of adding 500 more Seattle police officers and had requested $2 million in incentives to recruit new officers and hire experienced officers. The city council will consider it this week.
The number of Seattle Police Department personnel, which stood at 1,300 between 2013 and 2019, is currently below 1,000, with 400 resigning or retiring after 2020, The Times reported.