King County Saw Increase In Shootings, Homicides In 2021

KING COUNTY, WA — King County experienced a noticeable surge in gun violence last year, significantly outpacing recent years in the number of incidents and victims, according to the prosecutor's office.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg hosted a news conference Monday to walk through the concerning trend, joined by other local leaders. His office assembles quarterly and annual reports on gun violence sourced from 39 law enforcement agencies across the county.

"The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Report, which is the most comprehensive gun violence analysis available in King County, makes clear what many of us know anecdotally: 2021 was a violent year in our community," Satterberg said. "While we have and will continue to prosecute perpetrators or firearm violence, this data analysis is part of our broader, public health approach that is required to achieve lasting reductions of firearm violence."

Here are some of the key takeaways from the 2021 data:

• King County law enforcement agencies reported 1,405 shots fired incidents, which was 54 percent higher than the 2017-2020 average.
• There were 460 shooting victims in 2021 — a total that was 70 percent higher than the 2017-2020 average.
  • At least 88 victims died in shootings, which was 17 more deaths than the year before and a 54 percent surge above the four-year average.
  • Non-fatal shootings injured 372 people, representing an increase of 102 victims from the year before and an 82 percent surge above the four-year average.
• Black people and other communities of color continued to be disproportionately impacted by gun violence, and 28 percent of shooting victims were between 18 and 24.

Cases charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office:

Murder/manslaughter cases charged in 2021, 2020, and 2019:

• 2021: 63
• 2020: 81
• 2019: 54

Cases charged that involved one or more counts of unlawful gun possession:

• 2021: 417
• 2020: 490
• 2019: 454

Cases charges involving serious violence (includes all cases involving one or more counts of Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, Robbery in the Second Degree, and Burglary in the First Degree):

• 2021: 1,164
• 2020: 1,485
• 2019: 1,573

Satterberg and other panelists noted that similar increases in violence were seen in cities and counties across the United States since the beginning of 2020. While the root causes are multi-faceted, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay noted that pandemic-related factors likely played a role, along with decreased access to social services and insufficient funding for potential solutions.

"We're living in times of turmoil," Zahilay said. "The worst part about it in my view is that, as we're seeing societal problems stack up, tools that we have to solve those problems are being diminished at the same time, and that creates a really bad dynamic," Zahilay said. "As we're seeing the pandemic stack up, anxiety, depression, anger, addiction, the tools that we usually have to address those things are being diminished."

The prosecutor's office has partnered with several community groups to use its data to help inform community efforts with a goal of reducing gun violence, particularly among youth, including the BRAVE program at the Highline School District.

Residents can view some more takeaways from the annual data below: