2 shot dead in Seattle homeless encampment

She said that officers were sent to other homeless encampments to check on and reassure people. One person was declared deceased at the scene and four were sent to Harborview Medical Center, where another man died. The victims range in age from 25 to 45 and are believed to be homeless.

“We’ve got gunshot wounds to the chest, the abdomen”, said Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg.

One man died shortly after arriving, and three others were rushed into surgery.

Gregg says in a news release that two women are breathing on their own and remain in serious condition in intensive care.

Police say all victims lived at the camp.

“Police are actively searching the woods for the suspects and piecing together information about the incident”, said a Seattle Police Department spokesman. O’Toole said. “We believe there were other reasons …”

One witness told KING 5 he saw at least six people dressed in black arrive on bikes.

He said Fats, a woman known as Tracy, a blond woman, a heavyset woman and a man named James were shot.

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said investigators don’t think the shooting was random.

And the shooting came at the same time as Mayor Ed Murray gave a speech about efforts to curb the crisis, saying, “People are dying on our streets”. He said The Jungle “has been unmanageable and out of control for nearly two decades”.

“It was an actual plea that Seattle by ourselves can not deal with this crisis”. He again said that the city can not fix the problem alone, and he called on the state and federal government to help. The area is colloquially known as “The Jungle”, CBS News reported on Wednesday.

Fats’ tent is two to three times the size of others nearby. “I thank the mayor for acting on the clear need to assist these people and, in doing so, addressing the impacts on people living without access to water, garbage and bathroom facilities”, stated City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, following the council’s amending and ratifying Murray’s order.