Seattle mayor promises new ‘gun violence prevention strategy’ after deadly weekend of shootings

The announcement comes as Seattle police have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the three weekend killings and are still searching for additional suspects from the deadly Bite of Seattle mass shooting six weeks earlier.

“What happened in Belltown this weekend is tragic and unacceptable,” Wilson said Tuesday. “Three young people lost their lives, three others were seriously hurt, and countless neighbors were shaken awake by gunshots, street racing, sirens, or another painful headline in the paper.”

Wilson said Seattle is not alone in experiencing gun violence and that her administration is working with other cities and national experts on strategies she believes have proven effective.

“The data shows us what works – community violence interruption and focused deterrence, investing in public safety as well as public health, and building a resilient economy with good jobs and shared prosperity,” Wilson said.

The mayor said her administration will announce additional staffing for gun violence prevention efforts, push state lawmakers for policies intended to “keep guns off our streets,” and fund the new strategy through her forthcoming city budget.

Wilson did not announce a specific gang-violence strategy, despite suspected gang violence being at the center of the July Bite of Seattle mass shooting and detectives now investigating whether the latest Belltown killing was also a “group or gang violence situation.”

Six weeks after the Bite shooting, SPD has yet to arrest the additional people believed to have exchanged gunfire during the attack. A 15-year-old has been arrested and charged, but Sayles said Monday that detectives are still reviewing approximately 450 hours of video and hope to “make some arrests here soon.”

Wilson also pointed to SPD data that she said shows shootings and homicides at their lowest levels in a decade.

“I, like everyone in Seattle, want to see that progress happen faster and steadier,” she said.

The announcement follows a violent Labor Day weekend in Belltown. Three separate shootings over roughly 24 hours left three people dead and three seriously wounded. The final shooting killed a 17-year-old near Elliott Avenue and Bell Street and seriously injured a 21-year-old man.

Wilson's statement said Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles and SPD officers are “working diligently to hold those harming others to account” and increasing police presence in high-crime locations.

However, no arrests have been announced in any of the three Belltown killings.

Sayles generated widespread attention online following a Monday media availability when he described one element of SPD's strategy: identifying people police call “trigger pullers.”

“We call them trigger pullers in our community,” Sayles said, explaining that SPD wants to identify them, build cases and work with prosecutors to “bring these individuals to justice.”

Asked whether SPD was implementing something different following the weekend's violence, Sayles responded, “I don't think it's different.”

“It's one of those instances where we respond to violence on a daily basis,” he said. “It's not like we can be there and stop it, but our goal is to be there and stop it.”

“We just got to tweak a few things,” Sayles added.

Wilson, meanwhile, spent part of Labor Day walking a picket line with striking Embassy Suites workers in Pioneer Square while SPD investigated the deadly weekend.

Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay joined UNITE HERE Local 8 workers Monday morning, hours after the 17-year-old was killed in Belltown. Days after winning the 2025 mayoral election, Wilson joined striking Starbucks workers and urged Seattle residents to boycott the hometown coffee giant. “I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson said at the time.

Since then, Starbucks has continued reducing its Seattle footprint while expanding in Tennessee. The company announced a $100 million Nashville investment expected to support approximately 2,000 jobs within five years, while laying off hundreds of corporate employees in Seattle.

Wilson has not yet disclosed the cost of her proposed gun violence strategy, how many additional staff members will be hired, which specific gun policies she will ask state lawmakers to enact, or whether a separate strategy targeting gang violence is forthcoming.

“Progress will require tightly coordinated work across our city departments and with county, state, and community partners,” Wilson said, “and I’m committed to getting it.”