SEATTLE — Two men were found shot to death in a car overnight in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood, according to authorities.
The Seattle Police Department was called to 5th Avenue South and South Michigan Street just before 12:15 a.m. for reports of a shooting. Officers found two men in a vehicle with fatal gunshot wounds. Emergency crews determined life-saving measures were not feasible and the men were declared dead at the scene.
Investigators are not sure if the men knew each other or whether the shooting happened at a nearby homeless encampment.
"Right now it is too early in the investigation to know if it was a targeted attack," said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.
"We have been working a lot of different emphasis areas to try and make sure we are putting our officers in the right spot,” said Chief Diaz.
Thursday morning’s fatal shootings happened near a Seattle Credit Union on Michigan Avenue which is scheduled to permanently close next month. On the branch’s website, it states the decision to close was made because ensuring safety at that location has become increasingly difficult.
This deadly shooting marks Seattle's fourth homicide of 2023, less than three weeks into the new year.
Nearby in Sodo, Erin Goodman, Executive Director of the Sodo Business Improvement Area, says the early morning violence highlights a bigger problem
"Sodo and Georgetown are intrinsically linked. We are different neighborhoods. We have different characters, but we are right next to each other. And crime doesn't stay within one boundary,” said Goodman. "We saw a significant increase in crime in 2022 as compared to 2021, specifically in violent crime."
Over the last three years, Sodo has seen violent crime steadily increase to more than 120 reports last year. In Georgetown, violent crime ticked up in 2021, but dipped slightly last year to 72 reports.
Police urged the public to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000 if they have any information on the shooting.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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