SEATTLE — Several weeks after being shot at a south Seattle encampment, police said a man has now died from his injuries.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) shared a release Friday indicating that a 61-year-old man who was shot on May 17 died on Wednesday. Police said the man was found underneath Interstate 5 on Airport Way South, and no suspects have been identified or found to this day.
SPD said homicide detectives continue to investigate, and the man's death marked the 19th homicide of 2024. Thursday's shooting at Garfield High School that left a student dead was the 20th of the year.
Homicide numbers are lower at this point on the calendar than they have been in past years. In 2023, Seattle already had 25 homicides by the end of May. 2022 saw Seattle have 21 homicides at the end of May.
In 2021, Seattle had just 14 homicides at the conclusion of May. Meanwhile, 2020 saw 18 homicides recorded in the city through May.
The city of Seattle recorded its most homicides since 1994 last year, with 73 being tallied by SPD.
The reduced homicide count in 2024 comes amid a turbulent year for the state's largest police force. Chief Adrian Diaz was reassigned in May as lawsuits mounted against both the department and Diaz personally. Former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr took over in the interim while Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell looks for a new police chief.
