Aurora Avenue shootout forces business to close, relocate to Snohomish County
SEATTLE - Once again, gun violence and prostitution are taking center stage along Aurora Avenue North in Seattle.
What they're saying:
"It’s become all too common," said Ryan Ferrie, owner of Empire Insurance Brokers. "The latest shooting was the last straw."
Ferrie is referring to a shootout that was captured on camera last Friday. Video surveillance shared with FOX 13 shows the moments off Aurora and 97th Street where people inside two vehicles fired shots at each other in the middle of the road.
"It’s like the wild west out here," said Ferrie. "It was literally two cars right here on Aurora, side by side shooting at each other like the O.K. Corral with bullets going in both directions."
Luckily, no one was injured, but according to a Seattle Police report, officers recovered nearly two dozen shell casings in the area.
"Right through the front window. It literally went into the back of the monitor," said Ferrie. "The monitor is destroyed."
What's next:
Ferrie said because of the shooting, he made the tough decision to close his location and combine it with an office in Snohomish County. The business has served North Seattle for 50 years.
"At this point I can’t afford to lose a staff person due to gun violence," said Ferrie. "It’s just unacceptable."
The location will officially close at the end of the business day on Friday.
"Whatever the SOAP zone is, or whatever they want to call it, it’s not working," said Ferrie. "The people causing these problems don’t care. I’m not a fan of diversion either. It’s like city leaders want to help the disadvantaged when it’s the taxpayers that are the real ones suffering."
In response to ongoing violence linked to prostitution, FOX 13 reached out to Councilmember Moore who represents the district. We asked for an on-camera interview but she was unavailable. Moore sent this statement:
"It’s unfortunate, but completely understandable to read the news of Empire Insurance Brokers leaving Aurora Avenue. No business should have to deal with gunshots entering the workplace, and Aurora has been plagued with escalating gun violence in recent years.
"Since taking office last year, I’ve taken these ongoing public safety concerns raised by constituents very seriously. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation legislation, I sponsored last fall is specifically in response to the brazen gun violence in the area. Now that the Council has passed this legislation and the Mayor has signed it, I am eager to see a plan for its swift implementation. We also need the CCTV cameras on Aurora and Real Time Crime Center up as soon as possible, both have already been approved and funded by the Council.
"We need the Executive to view the ongoing gun violence in North Seattle as an emergency requiring an immediate and fully resourced response.
"My office has spoken with many of the businesses in this area and they have asked that we replicate the success that we have seen in using eco blocks to block side streets at 101st to reduce gun violence up and down the Aurora corridor. We need the Executive to act immediately and use environmental design, additional officers, and technology tools to address this issue."
But those words come a little too late for businesses like Ferrie's.
"I blame the city," he said. "I’d say they earned it, us leaving. It’s their fault. I put this on the entire council. This isn’t just a North Seattle or Aurora problem. It’s the city in its entirety."
The Source: Information in this story is from Seattle Police and Ryan Ferrie, owner of Empire Insurance Brokers.
BEST OF FOX 13 SEATTLE
Washington sees record eviction filings in 2024: ‘Not just an isolated incident’
New 2025 laws that are now in effect in WA
Good Samaritan saves mom from road rage incident in WA
Here's when you'll need REAL ID to go through US airport security
REI exits 'Experiences' businesses, laying off hundreds of employees
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.