SEATTLE — A 15-year-old boy is recovering at Harborview Medical Center after he was shot Tuesday night on Aurora Avenue.
Police report he was shot by a passenger in the back seat of his car and the suspect remains at large.
Investigators say the teen victim drove to firefighters who were responding to an unrelated call down the road.
The suspected shooter and other passengers fled before the 15-year-old got help and medics transported the teen to Harborview with serious injuries.
Residents and workers along Aurora Avenue are questioning what the city is doing to address the persistent gun violence in the area.
Dude Linker, who works at a tire shop near the shooting location on Aurora Avenue, has witnessed the recurring violence.
“You go down to that 76, you’ll see a bullet hole right there above the gas station,” Linker said, adding that the sounds of gunfire have become common.
Linker has worked in the area for a year and a half, describing the shooting location as “literally right across the street from my place of work.”
He believes there was “a rival gang going on shooting back and forth at each other,” though the motive behind the recent shooting of the teen remains unconfirmed by police.
Linker described the incident as “very, very horrible and devastating.”
Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle addressed the ongoing gun violence, stating, “We continue to have this gun violence happening in whatever form it happens.”
Kettle highlighted city efforts that include adding barriers into several neighborhoods to block certain traffic out.
He also emphasized having the Real Time Crime Center back online, noting, “It may not show exactly what it’s done or what happened, but it can also show what didn’t happen.”
As Kettle and city leadership work to address what they refer to as a decades-long issue, Kettle suggested, “Keep the press on. Maybe do some studies. Maybe set ourselves up for success in terms of being able to turn it on when we have that opportunity.”
Linker voiced the community’s frustration and hope for intervention. “Please do something. Get the drug addicts off the street. Get the guns off the street and try to keep us safer,” Linker urged.
Seattle Police are actively searching for the suspected shooter and any other passengers who were in the teen’s car at the time of the incident.
Seattle Police continue to search for the suspected shooter and other passengers involved in the incident.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact SPD’s Violent Crimes Tipline at (206) 233-5000.
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