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SEATTLE — Seattle city officials held a briefing on Thursday to address the increase in "shots fired" incidents across the city.
The meeting was prompted by a recent audit urging the City of Seattle to improve its gun violence reporting and adopt an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to combat the issue.
Council President Sara Nelson expressed concern over the escalating gun violence patterns in Seattle.
"We are seeing elevated numbers of shooting incidents, and shots fired, people being injured in gun violence," Nelson stated.
The audit revealed a rise in reports of shots fired, increasing from 211 incidents in 2012 to 541 in 2024.
Nelson highlighted an aspect of Seattle's gun violence, noting, "Seattle is unique in the percentage of homicides or shootings that occurred in parks."
While some residents expressed surprise at the prevalence of gun violence in their neighborhoods, others acknowledged the broader issue affecting the city.
One Seattle resident commented, "A lot of the gun crimes are in the community that are minors and so what that tells me is perhaps there is not a lot of outreach or things to do or interventions to help families."
The audit recommends that Seattle share gun violence data more widely among city departments and develop a coordinated approach to address the problem.
"Our four recommendations do not require more city resources. Our recommendations do require the city to get more organized," stated an audit representative.
However, Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington asserted that many of the audit's recommendations align with existing city efforts.
"I would say the mayor's office agrees with the audit findings, but we were already doing the things that were in the audit findings and that is a big distinction," Washington explained.
The briefing concluded with an acknowledgment that improved communication between the mayor's office and city council is necessary to keep councilmembers informed about ongoing efforts to prevent gun violence in Seattle.
SEATTLE — Detectives are investigating a home invasion robbery that took place on Wednesday in the Northgate neighborhood.
At around 12:40 p.m. on March 26, officers responded to a call from a 60-year-old man on the 9500 block of Aurora Avenue North. The victim told police he had just left his home when two people confronted him and forced him back inside.
The suspects proceeded to ransack the home and steal multiple belongings, including the victim's car keys, mobile phone, and apartment keys.
As they exited, one suspect held the victim at gunpoint and escorted him outside, but he managed to break free and run.
While fleeing, he heard a single gunshot. Although no one was injured, a vehicle was struck.
The suspects drove away shortly after the crime, possibly with a third suspect behind the wheel. Officers processed the scene for evidence, and robbery detectives have taken over the investigation.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
MOSES LAKE, Wash. — A manhunt is underway for two people involved in a deadly drive-by shooting in Moses Lake that killed a 14-year-old boy.
The shooting happened on March 21, killing the teenager with a shot to the head and critically injuring four other people, including three juveniles and one adult.
The Moses Lake Police Department identified three suspects and recovered an abandoned car linked to the crime.
On March 22, the United States Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) was called in to assist with the fugitive investigation.
On March 24, a 14-year-old male suspect was arrested in Richland, Washington, by the Richland Police Department at the request of the U.S. Marshals.
The suspect, who had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg, faces charges of First-Degree Murder.
Arrest warrants were issued on March 25 for the two remaining fugitives. They are wanted for charges including first-degree murder, assault, drive-by shooting, and felon in possession of a firearm.
The U.S. Marshals PNVOTF is collaborating with the Moses Lake Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Washington State Department of Corrections, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to find and apprehend the fugitives.
A reward of up to $10,000, or $5,000 per fugitive, is being offered for information leading directly to their arrests.
Authorities warn that the suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or submit tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.
FIFE, Wash. — Fife police arrested the 26-year-old driver of a vehicle that was seen patrolling while having incorrect ICE and U.S. Department of Homeland Security emblems earlier this month.
On March 16, 2025, the Fife Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding a suspicious vehicle at the Emish Market.
The FPD said the vehicle, a black 2019 Ford SUV, was identified as a former "police interceptor" and bore emblems suggesting it was an official Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit. Witnesses reported that the occupants were recording employees and customers, causing alarm.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the vehicle was not an official unit, according to police.
The FPD's Criminal Investigations Division, in coordination with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations Seattle field offices, launched an investigation. Tukwila Police later identified the vehicle as a former patrol car, sold to a private buyer after being deemed a "total loss" by their insurance carrier.
Public tips and information from Tukwila Police led to the identification of their suspect, Ilya P. Kukhar, a 26-year-old Washington resident, according to the FPD.
Kukhar, who is not employed by any law enforcement agency, has been charged with one count of Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree.
His arraignment is scheduled for April 11 at Fife Municipal Court.
ISSAQUAH - An Issaquah woman reportedly caught keying a Tesla during a parking lot confrontation has been identified as a fitness coach allegedly worth millions of dollars.
Kamelia Enzler, 55, is facing charges of third-degree malicious mischief after she was filmed vandalizing another driver’s Tesla Model Y on March 20 at the Issaquah Commons shopping center, according to the Issaquah Police Department (IPD).
“IPD has now contacted the victim and confirmed that the altercation stemmed from a road rage incident which occurred on March 20, 2025 around 3:30 p.m., not the politically motivated attacks that have previously targeted Teslas and their owners,” IPD stated on social media.
Independent journalism Jonathan Choe originally posted the now-viral video.
The Tesla driver had a child in the back seat of the car when the incident occurred, which police say started with Enzler, driving a Toyota 4Runner, flipping the Tesla driver off before exiting her car, yelling at the driver, and eventually keying the Tesla.
Enzler owns a fitness company called iPeak Fitness, while her husband is a lead software engineer at DocuSign.
Attacks against Tesla on the rise
Tesla owners have been victims of attacks, vandalism, and harassment since the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, became the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with the Trump administration.
Locally, six Teslas at a dealership in Lynnwood were vandalized with swastikas and profane language directly related to Elon Musk. In another instance, a man was seen pouring gasoline on the hood of a white Tesla and setting it on fire in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
According to the Justice Department, which is vowing to charge people for vandalizing or destroying Tesla vehicles, one suspect threw eight Molotov cocktails at a dealership in Salem, Oregon, while another suspect attempted to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails in Loveland, Colorado. A third person “wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the charging stations on fire” in Charleston, South Carolina.
The car brand has even become a target internationally, as four Teslas were torched in Berlin, Germany.
Last weekend, demonstrators gathered outside a Tesla dealership on Highway 99 in Lynnwood. Similar protests occurred in Virginia, Tennessee, New York City, and Florida.