SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is investigating after a shooting Monday night left a man dead in the Lake City neighborhood.
According to an SPD blotter post, officers responded just after 11 p.m. to a report of a man shot in the 13700 block of 32nd Avenue NE. The shooting happened outside of a residential building.
A man was found with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital despite life-saving efforts.
One person who owns property in the area said that smaller issues need to be dealt with in order to prevent these types of violent crimes from happening.
"I see an issue of drug use and homelessness as the beginning of the slope to crime like this," said Robert Macdonald, who owns a property in the neighborhood. "And until those issues are addressed, this will be the assumed next thing to happen. I wasn't surprised. I was sad to hear it."
This homicide marks the 49th homicide in Seattle so far in 2023, according to the Seattle Police Department. This means 2023 is on track to have the most homicides in Seattle in at least the past 15 years. In 2022 there were 52 homicides in total in Seattle. In 2021, there were 43 homicides and in 2020 there were 53 homicides. In 2019, there were 34.
People like Macdonald hope for positive change and for homicides in Seattle to decrease.
"I would like to see a strong police presence and for people to really respect the rule of law and be kind to our neighbors," said Macdonald. "We all share this community, so let's act like it."
No information is available on what led up to the shooting, but SPD asked anyone who has information regarding this investigation to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.