Though it’s the first homicide in the city for 2025, it’s the fourth such investigation in King County this year.
Though it’s the first homicide in the city for 2025, it’s the fourth such investigation in King County this year.
A 40-year-old man was killed in a Pioneer Square shooting early Saturday, marking Seattle’s first homicide of 2025.
Seattle police found the man around 1:30 a.m. in a vehicle at a Diamond Parking lot in the 300 block of Second Avenue South, according to a blotter post. The man was pronounced dead at the scene after lifesaving measures failed.
Police were later notified about a 23-year-old woman arriving at Swedish hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. She was stable but in serious condition, police said; they believe the two shootings are related.
Officers recovered dozens of shell casings at the scene, Seattle acting Deputy police Chief Yvonne Underwood said Saturday afternoon at a news conference. Investigators had not released information about the apparent connection between the man and the woman.
Passersby looked curiously as investigators collected evidence in the parking lot Saturday afternoon. The lot is nestled between several bars and businesses. About 15 cars remained in the lot as police gathered evidence.
The homicide and shooting remained under investigation, with no suspects identified. Those with information are encouraged to call the Seattle Police Department Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
While the Pioneer Square shooting marks the first homicide in Seattle in 2025, it is the fourth homicide investigation in King County this year. Leda Louise Files, 62, was allegedly strangled to death by her son in her Renton home Tuesday, and Michael Edward Harris, 53, was killed by an officer during a traffic stop in Auburn on Jan. 15. On Jan. 10, Alan Jaller-Garcia, 16, was fatally stabbed in the chest near Tukwila’s Foster High School.
King County saw a dip in homicides last year, closing the year with 120 after seeing a record-breaking 143 homicides in 2023. About 61 homicides occurred within Seattle city limits in 2024, compared with 69 in 2023.
In Seattle alone, police responded to 725 shooting scenes last year, down slightly from the 733 and 738 shooting scenes in 2023 and 2022, respectively, according to SPD data.
Last year, Seattle’s first homicide occurred on Jan. 23 in West Seattle, when teenager Mobarak Adam was fatally shot at the Southwest Teen Life Center.
Seattle police went 48 days without responding to a homicide last spring, besting a 35-day streak in winter 2023. The most recent streak, halted by Saturday’s Pioneer Square shooting, was 24 days.
Underwood said officers will be on patrol in the Pioneer Square area and that Seattle is a safe city.
“Gun violence in the area is certainly a concern for the citizens,” Underwood said. “We’re doing everything that we can about that right now.”
Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this story.
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