According to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), officers responded to King Smoke Shop, located near the intersection of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 80th Street in the city’s Ballard neighborhood for a report of a man who was shot in a parking lot. The 29-year-old man is dead after Seattle police say he tried to rob a Ballard smoke shop and was shot and killed by the store employee.
Officials said community members gave the injured employee medical aid after the shooting before police arrived, using belts as tourniquets. The 38-year-old employee was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition. Seattle police said the man had “non-life-threatening gunshot wound injuries.”
The 29 year-old man attempted to rob the business at gunpoint and shot an employee. The 38-year-old employee returned fire, fatally striking the man. The suspect was found dead outside the business.
This is more violent crime as many want answers. Violent crime increased by 4% across Seattle and homicides increased by 24%, according to 2022 data from the Seattle Police Department. Seattle’s violent crime rate reached a 15-year high in 2022, surpassing the record set in 2021, according to a yearly crime report released by the Seattle Police Department.
Data released by SPD show that violent crime increased by 4% compared to 2021, which was the previous all-time high in reported crimes. Totals in 2022, however, surpassed the 2021 mark with 49,577 violent and property crimes. The department reported that aggravated assault and motor vehicle thefts were “significantly” high in 2022 compared to a five-year weighted average.
Seatyle Officers investigated 52 homicides in 2022, an increase from 41 homicides in 2021. Of the 52 homicides in Seattle, 73% died from gun violence, according to the report. The report indicated 2022 had the second-highest total homicides after 53 homicides were reported in 2020.
