KING COUNTY, Wash. — King County has seen more children and teens killed in shootings so far this year, than all of last year combined. Advocates say this is not only impacting the families and friends of these young people, but entire communities.
So far this year, at least 18 kids under the age of 18 have been victims of shootings in King County and six have died. In all of last year, 41 kids under the age of 18 were victims of shootings, and five of them died, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“We're seeing more kids being shot and killed this year than last year,” said Casey McNerthney, the spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “That's especially concerning because we know with adults and juveniles alike, we see historically an increase in the summer months.”
Data from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office shows if you compare the first four months of this year to the same time timeframe the past three years, this year the county has seen a 39% increase in shootings of kids and teens and a 150% increase in deadly shootings of that age group.
“This shows how important it is to reach youth before they pick up a gun, before they get to this point, before they land on our desk in a case, on either side,” said McNerthney.
McNerthney said people having guns illegally is a problem, whether they are ghost guns or stolen from cars.
The founder of the group Grandmothers Against Gun Violence said that storing guns properly is one of the best things gun owners can do to prevent shooting among kids and teens.
“A poorly secured gun or a poorly hidden ammunition, or locked up ammunition, is just an invitation for tragedy,” said Margaret Heldring, the founder of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence.
The group RISE, which stands for “Resilient in Sustaining Empowerment,” supports families who have been impacted by gun violence in our area.
“For our Black and brown communities, this is, really unfortunately, this is no new story to us,” said Lynese Redeemer, a community victims advocate with RISE. “Lately, unfortunately, I've been working a lot of mothers who are losing their children, a lot of grandmothers who are now having to start taking care of their grandchildren.”
She said more resources are needed in communities that have long dealt with trauma.
“Without any type of intervention in prevention, it will only get bigger,” said Redeemer. “We really don't have the time to wait anymore. Every young person who loses their life, on both sides of the gun, that is just one young person too many, two young people too many.”