An overnight shooting in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, home to the Capitol Hill Ongoing/Occupied Protest (or CHOP), left one dead and one in critical condition, according to Seattle media.
It is, at least, the fourth such incident in less than a week, at the first to take place after Seattle city officials vowed to “retake” the increasingly violent CHOP demonstration zone, which occupies about six blocks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
“Two males suffering gunshot wounds arrived at Harborview Medical Center’s Emergency Department,” according to Fox News. “The shooting victim who arrived at the hospital at 3:30 a.m. from the CHOP area on Capitol Hill in Seattle has unfortunately died, Susan Gregg, a hospital spokeswoman.”
The second male remains in critical condition. Seattle Police say they are investigating the cause of the shooting. Initial reports suggested a “mass shooting” in or near the CHOP zone, but the incident appears to have been the result of a smaller altercation.
Monday morning’s shooting is the latest in a string of shootings that have now left two dead and Seattle city officials confused as to how to handle the CHOP demonstration, which refuses to uproot and leave despite please from both the Seattle mayor and protest organizers.