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SEATTLE - Repeated shootings in a North Seattle neighborhood have residents on edge, and while they wait for the city to step in, some worry things could get worse ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Neighbors say they are still frustrated with the City of Seattle after a series of nightly shootings on Aurora Ave. They say they heard another series of shots near 125th last night.
After a shooting that nearly hit a baby’s window at N 97th St and Linden Ave N and a shootout off of 97th this past week alone, neighbors like Dave Patton started calling on city leaders to help the police enforce the law in the community.
North Seattle neighbors incensed over gunfire
"It’s up to the city to provide them with the resources they need," said Patton.
Patton and other neighbors believe that groups involved in sex trafficking are to blame for the violence and sent two emails.
The first asked the city to declare an emergency on Aurora Ave N, and the second, threatened legal action and demanded the closure of non-arterial access points, enforcement of Seattle’s SOAP ordinance, creation of a crime and trafficking task force and the restoration of crime center cameras.
They asked for a response by May 25th.
"We set a deadline of Monday, somebody said ‘That’s a holiday’, I said ‘That’s great, the pimps don’t take holidays,’" said Patton.
City of Seattle responds to Aurora Ave shootings
Mayor Katie Wilson’s office responded Thursday afternoon with a public statement saying:
"We are deeply concerned about the recent violence on north Aurora and are coordinating closely with SPD, community groups, and individual community members to increase safety in the neighborhood. In response to community requests, SPD is developing immediate plans to place more officers along the corridor on emphasis patrols; we were also heartened to hear that SPD recently arrested a suspect in a 2025 Aurora shooting and two others in a narcotics operation.
"We will continue to engage with and listen to community members as we find our way forward. While the recent violence was shocking, the underlying issues on Aurora are not new, and I am committed, as mayor, to working with impacted community members and our city departments to make progress towards a future where all of our residents feel safe in the neighborhoods where they work and live."
Seattle Councilmember Bob Kettle also released a statement, saying:
"My office is actively monitoring the situation on the North Aurora corridor. I fully understand residents' frustration and appreciate them sending a letter to highlight these ongoing issues.
"As Public Safety Chair, I’ve worked hard with my colleagues to build out our city's public safety infrastructure with a strategic framework to guide our efforts. This includes boosting Seattle Police Department staffing, installing safety cameras, fully staffing the Real-Time Crime Center, and emphasizing public safety as a priority by encouraging the executive to elevate a Director of Public Safety to the Mayor’s leadership team.
"Too often we have had a singular focus on our neighbors in crisis, but not enough focus on our neighborhoods in crisis. Directing additional patrols to this area is an operational staffing decision overseen by the department, which reports directly to the Mayor. We also need to keep in mind that these resources are precious and limited. I will continue to partner with the Mayor and her team, but deployment decisions rest with the executive branch, and so I strongly urge residents to reach out to Mayor Wilson to voice your concerns.
"In the meantime, I will continue to partner with my colleagues and other City officials to address the ongoing crime and to implement our Strategic Framework Plan to create a safe base in our City."
Councilmember Debora Juarez cited issues with police staffing, saying in part:
"We should not live in fear of being shot by a gun in our homes or community. Sadly, that has become common across Seattle, as we have experienced recently in our neighborhoods along North Aurora Avenue. The level of gun-related violence and death from firearms is unacceptable. We live in a country where people have easy access to guns and sadly this violence, as we have recently experienced, erupted the past week off Aurora Ave N. We are feeling the weight of these past few weeks alongside our community.
"To put our ongoing public safety challenges in perspective, Seattle’s population is approximately 801,200 people, an 8.5% increase since 2020. In 2020, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) had approximately 1,203 available and deployable sworn officers. Today, we only have approximately 861 available and deployable sworn officers citywide — this is a 29% reduction, with only one police precinct to cover 1/3 of the city (north Seattle) with approximately 250,000 residents. In sum, as our population has increased, our public safety services unfortunately, have not. This is a sobering fact. These circumstances contribute to the limitation of SPD’s ability to respond.
"In spite of this public safety landscape, our office continues to work with the Mayor’s Office, SPD, Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, City Attorney’s Office, and other city departments."
Safety concerns ahead of FIFA World Cup in Seattle
Meantime, residents say all this is happening just ahead of the World Cup, something they discussed with the North Precinct captain at a recent community meeting.
Captain George Davisson is the commander of the SPD's North Precinct.
"We have FIFA coming up, and with FIFA in town, we will likely see more activity, we’ll see more drug activity, we are doing what we can to put in more officers," said Davisson.
"I imagine that’s going to cause an uptick in violence, prostitution, you name it," said Patton.
Residents say they’re also considering a recall action against city leaders.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Jennifer Dowling.