Are Shootings In Seattle On The Rise? See SPD Data

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle's first shooting in May happened around 1 a.m. in an upper-class Capitol Hill neighborhood near the corner of 17th Ave East and East Mercer Street. The victim wasn't badly hurt, but his was the first in almost two dozen shootings this month through the Memorial Day incident at Pritchard Beach that left a woman and two children injured.

On top of the shootings in May, Seattle has seen a slew of recent high-profile shootings, from the killing of a 51-year-old man aboard a Metro bus in January to the murder of a 21-year-old Hakeem Talley at the Cal Anderson Park basketball courts in March. But are shootings in Seattle higher this year so far?

By some measures, yes. The number of aggravated assaults involving a gun stood at 73 at the end of April, the last month SPD data is available. That's the highest number dating back to 2015, and an increase of about 16 percent compared to the same periods in 2017 and 2018.

There have been 251 "shots fired" calls so far this year. That category includes different types of crime involving guns, including homicides, assaults, property damage, and people reporting that they heard gunshots. There were more shots fired calls in 2017 (365), 2016 (324), and 2015 (278) through April than this year. In April 2019 alone, there have been 89 shots fired calls, the second highest for that month over the last five years behind 2017 when there were 92.

While almost every Seattle neighborhood had a shooting call in 2019, more than half the 251 shots calls came from 13 neighborhoods:

• Madrona/Leschi: 17
• Rainier View: 16
• Central District: 12
• Rainier Beach: 11
• Capitol Hill: 11
• Lake City: 11
• Brighton/Dunlap: 8
• First Hill: 8
• North Delridge: 8
• Columbia City: 7
• Alaska Junction: 7
• University District: 7
• Pioneer Square: 7
• Roxhill/Westwood: 7

Of the 73 aggravated assaults that involved guns, five neighborhoods stood out for having higher numbers, according to SPD data:

• University District: 6
• Pioneer Square: 5
• Rainier Beach: 4
• International District: 4
• First Hill: 3

None of these figures include incidents that occurred in May, however.

According to incidents reported by police, there were 18 shootings over the first 27 days of May with 21 victims — that includes a fatal police shooting, and three days when there were multiple shootings in one day.

Here's a rundown of all the shooting incidents that have happened so far in May, according to Seattle police:

May 27: Three people, including a toddler and a 10-year-old, are shot on Memorial Day at Pritchard Beach in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. Police believe people in two separate cars were shooting at each other and the three victims were caught in the middle.

May 24: A man went to Seattle Children's with a gunshot wound. He told police he was shot near the corner of North 100th Street and Aurora Avenue.

May 21: Just after midnight, a 19-year-old was shot in the Rainier Vista neighborhood near Columbia City along the 4300 block of Jill Place South. Police seized a gun and two vehicles at the scene.

May 20: A man smashed a car window with a baseball bat at the Fremont 7-Eleven. The car owner retaliated by opening fire. No one was hit, and the shooter was arrested a few hours after the incident.

May 19: An 18-year-old was shot but not seriously injured at a house party in the Maple Leaf area along 17th Avenue Northeast.

May 18: Police responded to a report of gunshots along the 7800 block of Rainier Avenue South. No one was hit, but police did arrest a 16-year-old at the scene who was armed with a gun.

May 15: A man was shot and seriously injured outside a Bitter Lake 7-Eleven. The shooting happened around 12:30 p.m.

May 14: A rideshare passenger, apparently drunk, shot his rideshare driver in Lower Queen Anne. The shooter told police his gun went off as he was getting out of the car, striking the driver in the back.

May 10 – 11: Three separate shootings happened Friday into early Saturday morning. In the first shooting, three people were hit outside the Union Market in the Central District near Union and 21st Avenue. One of the victims, Royale Lexing, died. Several hours later at 11 p.m., a man was shot while walking along South Eddy Street in the Hillman City area. He told police shooters in two vehicles opened fire on him and another man. About an hour later, someone opened fire on a card game at a home along South Jackson Street. One man there was wounded.

May 8: Near 7 p.m., Seattle officers shot and killed Ryan M. Smith, 31. Smith was holding a knife and had threatened to kill his girlfriend at their Lower Queen Anne apartment. At around that same time, a man driving along the 1400 block of Northeast Northgate Way was shot in the back.

May 5: After 2 a.m., a Seattle officer confronted a gunman who had shot and wounded another man in Pioneer Square. The officer fired on the gunman, but police do not know if the gunman was hit. Then around 10 p.m., two men were shot at a liquor store near the Rainier Beach Safeway. The victims were fighting with another man at the store before shots rang out.

May 4: A woman caught between two groups was shot at the Arco gas station at 23rd Avenue and Cherry Street. The woman was able to drive herself from the scene. The shooting suspect was arrested in mid-May in Renton.

May 2: A man was shot and wounded around 1 a.m. in an alley near 17th Avenue East and East Mercer. Police found shell casings at the scene, but didn't find any other victims. A second shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. two miles south near South Charles and Rainier. The victim was shot in the leg and also taken to Harborview.