A homeless man and woman were killed and three other people were wounded when a shooting erupted at the homeless encampment known as ‘The Jungle, ‘ authorities said. Three other victims underwent surgery Tuesday night. Police responded to reports of shots fired at about 7.15pm to the area in the south of the city.
Advertisement
The shooting appears to have happened in “the jungle”, a known homeless encampment.
“We believe this was a targeted incident”, police chief Kathleen O’toole said in a news conference.
One male died. Two victims were in critical condition, another was in serious condition.
Officers said that an unidentified woman died at the scene and four others who were hurt were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
In November he declared a state of emergency over the growing homeless population of the city. While these lots will only be able to fit about 50 RVs and other vehicles being used by homeless individuals and families, the hope is that added access to case management assistance from Compass Housing Alliance will allow users to eventually ditch their homes on wheels in favor of better housing.
In the Washington Post, Michael Miller called Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s special television address on Tuesday night “the speech of a lifetime: an impassioned pitch for Seattle to rally together to solve the spiraling crisis of homelessness”.
“I can’t help but wonder, did I act too late?” Violence has also visited the homeless encampment before, when in 2009 two people were murdered within two months.
Two people were killed in the Tuesday attack.
Advertisement
Police searched the area, a strip of wooded land between Interstate 5 and the western side of Beacon Hill, and are still looking for two “people of interest”. “This year in Seattle alone, the number of homeless school-age children in our public schools has risen to 3,000”.
