2 dead, 3 wounded at Seattle homeless camp shooting

Reporting from SEATTLE —  A homeless man and woman were killed and three other people were wounded when a shooting erupted at a Seattle homeless encampment known as the Jungle, authorities said.

The victims lived at the encampment where the attack occurred late Tuesday and investigators “have reason to believe it was very targeted,” Assistant Seattle Police Chief Bob Merner said.

Police don’t believe anyone else is in danger.

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Mayor Ed Murray said the encampment “has been unmanageable and out of control for almost two decades.”

No one has been arrested and the names of the victims have not been released. Police interviewed witnesses and searched for two people they called persons of interest. They did not elaborate.

“We are working furiously to identify a suspect,” Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said.

Police said the woman died at the scene. The four other people were taken to Harborview Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said.

Two women and a man, ranging from 25 to 45, underwent surgery for gunshot wounds to their upper bodies and were in serious condition in the intensive care unit, Gregg said.

No other details were immediately available.

Murray and King County Executive Director Dow Constantine declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness in November, pledging more than $7 million to address the crisis.

“I can’t help but wonder, ‘Did I act too late?’” Murray said Wednesday.

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