Neighbors along Seattle's Aurora Avenue grapple with 4 shootings in 72 hours
Neighbors on edge after 4 shootings in 72 hours
Neighbors along Seattle's Aurora Avenue are asking for a better response from police and the city after they reported four separate shootings with the same block in 72 hours.
SEATTLE - Neighbors near 97th and Aurora say there have been four shootings in less than 72 hours, all just within one city block.
The latest shooting was caught on camera early Monday morning, with around 20 or more shots fired.
Neighbors say the shootout early this morning, caught by security cameras at a local business, shows how dangerous the situation has become near 97th and Aurora.
In the video, you can see men gathered in an alley between the George's Transmission shop and another building. The group ducks to take cover behind vehicles as shots ring out. Some of the men returned fire with gun muzzles flashing.
Surveillance video captures men ducking behind vehicles during a shootout along Aurora Avenue on May 18, 2026.
What they're saying:
"Now I don’t feel safe no more, and it’s sad. We shouldn’t have to live like this," said Ava Wilson, who lives near 97th & Aurora.
Wilson lives in a building that sits very close to the May 18th shootout location with her 5-year-old son, Tyrese. She says people in her building took cover during the shooting.
"There's kids that stay in that building, not just mine," said Wilson.
"It was pretty noisy, and we live about 3–4 blocks away," said Peter Orr, a block captain in the neighborhood.
A shootout along Aurora Avenue caught on camera on May 18, 2026.
Though he lives some distance away, Orr still woke up to that gunfire when the fighting broke out at 97th and Aurora because it was so loud. Neighbor Jake also heard it while feeding his six-week-old baby near Linden.
"It’s terrifying," said Jake.
His security camera picked up the audio from that shooting at around 12:58 a.m. on May 18th. He says there was another shooting just hours later captured on neighborhood cameras on May 18th near 101st and Fremont Ave, which is further into the Greenwood neighborhood. He says around four shots could be heard during that shooting.
The May 18th shootings happened just a day after FOX 13 interviewed Jake about a bullet nearly hitting his baby's window during an ambush-style shooting near his house this weekend.
An ambush-style shooting caught on camera on 97th and Aurora.
"Even less than 24 hours since you guys were here, investigating the shooting that hit my house, we experienced two additional shootings on this same block," said Jake.
The Response:
FOX 13 asked Mayor Katie Wilson's office if the city might increase patrols or do something else to curtail violence and got this response by email:
"You’ll need to contact SPD for questions about their staffing levels. Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration continues to work with SPD to hire additional officers and provide community-based solutions to address gun violence," said Jonah Spangenthal-Lee.
Jake and his neighbor Peter felt that the response wasn't specific enough and did not include a concrete plan of action.
"I’ve seen more authentic responses generated by AI. It’s pretty lackluster and tone-deaf," said Orr.
"The first thing I see is the mayor’s office passing the buck. They say you’ll need to contact SPD for questions. What we are experiencing is escalating gun violence day by day. What this email says is they don’t see urgency. They don’t see an emergency and I have the bullets in the side of my house to prove it," said Jake.
We also reached out to SPD about whether they might step up patrols in that area of 97th and Aurora and got this response.
"I can say that as we continue to get additional new officers, we always send them to precincts to begin their career. So there is a high likelihood that the North Precinct will continue to see an influx of officers as hiring continues," said Sgt. Patrick Michaud, Seattle Police Public Affairs.
Michaud said SPD couldn't talk about specific staffing numbers on Aurora due to safety concerns.
What's next:
Meanwhile, SPD says the investigation into this weekend's shooting at 98th and Aurora remains ongoing. As for the Monday morning shooting at 97th and Aurora, FOX 13 is waiting for an update on that.
Spangenthal-Lee also said that the Executive Operations Manager for Public Safety has been in contact with Jake.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Police Department, the office of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.