Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released the following statement after a homicide in Capitol Hill:
“This senseless act of violence is heartbreaking and unacceptable, and my deepest condolences are with the victim’s family and loved ones. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is investigating this incident with haste to hold the perpetrator responsible and deliver justice for the victim and their family.
“The safety of all residents, workers, and visitors is my top priority as mayor. We know a large amount of people will be out tonight to ring in the new year with family and friends. SPD will increase evening and late-night patrols in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and other nightlife districts to ensure the safety of all celebrating tonight.
“So far this year, SPD has recovered over 1,848 firearms from Seattle streets, building on their strong work in 2023 and 2022 of seizing 1,918 and 1,933 firearms respectively. That’s over 5,500 guns seized over the past three years, showing there are too many guns in hands where they do not belong in our city. While we have made promising progress to rebuild our police staffing so officers can continue to keep our communities safe, we know there is more work to do to end the scourge of gun violence.
“We will continue to take a multi-faceted, holistic approach to this ongoing challenge that is both a public health and public safety crisis in our city and in our country. This includes partnering with community-based organizations on upstream solutions to prevent gun crimes and violence before it occurs; providing law enforcement with the resources they need to take guns off our streets and conduct swift, thorough investigations; working with the judicial system to ensure offenders who endanger the lives of others are held responsible for the harm they cause in our communities; and advocating for commonsense gun safety legislation at the State level.”