Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell made the following statement after a shooting in Pioneer Square:
“Last night’s gun violence that took the lives of three people and injured one more is a devastating, heartbreaking tragedy for our city. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims, and with the surrounding Pioneer Square community who have been shaken by this incident and recent violence.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city, and while homicides and violent crime have been trending in the right direction so far this year, this incident shows that we must do more to prevent senseless gun violence as we head into the summer months.
“Over the last two years, Seattle police have seized over 3,400 guns from our streets – showing that there are too many guns in hands where they do not belong. We’ve made significant progress to increase officer recruitment so they can continue to do this critical work to keep our communities safe.
“Next week, my office will be sharing more details about our summer safety planning – looking at ways to prevent and reduce violence near hotspot public areas. We will also utilize the new late-night safety legislation to make sure that after-hours venues are safe and secure for everyone.
“No community in our city is immune to the scourge of gun violence – we will continue to work with SPD and community-based partners to advance urgent solutions to this epidemic.”