Police Patrols Increased after 4 Wounded in Seattle Shootings
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police in the Seattle, Washington are increasing patrols after two shootings early Saturday morning left four people injured, including one person with serious injuries.
An increase in gun violence, earlier in the year than usual, has prompted the Seattle Police Department to step up patrols.
Both plainclothes and uniformed officers will be deployed in neighborhoods with shooting hot spots, according to the Seattle Times.
The announcement followed two shootings on Saturday.
In the first shooting Gunfire was exchanged between two moving vehicles. No one was injured, but parked cars were damaged, said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a police spokesman.
Four people were injured, one seriously, in the second shooting, in a parking lot at Occidental Avenue South and South Washington Street. In that incident, people were walking to their cars, a fight began and shots were fired, Whitcomb said.
The shootings were not connected, he said.
The shootings are being investigated by the department’s gang unit. There have been no arrests.
O’Toole said the department already was in the process of developing its annual stepped-up patrols in entertainment districts.
“As the weather gets warmer, things pick up,” O’Toole said. “We decided to accelerate the plan, given the increase in violence over the weekend.”
This year, the weather warmed early and shootings increased right in step with the temperatures.
“No question weather is a factor; that is always the case with policing,” said O’Toole. “One shooting is too many, as far as I’m concerned.”
The staffing increase started Saturday. Officers were being brought in on overtime and were being redeployed from the gang, SWAT and traffic units.
