1 00:00:10,099 --> 00:00:11,140 Good morning. 2 00:00:11,140 --> 00:00:13,320 Thank you for joining us here today, and I'm sorry 3 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:15,820 that we have to gather under such tragic circumstances. 4 00:00:16,980 --> 00:00:19,765 I'm going to share the basics of what we know, 5 00:00:19,765 --> 00:00:22,350 and after my remarks, Chief Scoggins and Chief 6 00:00:22,350 --> 00:00:24,460 Barnes will be sharing additional detail. 7 00:00:25,980 --> 00:00:27,222 Shortly after 6 p.m. 8 00:00:27,222 --> 00:00:29,198 last night, officers responded 9 00:00:29,198 --> 00:00:30,660 to the sound of gunfire. 10 00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:34,270 They were assigned to support Bite of Seattle and were on 11 00:00:34,270 --> 00:00:37,880 scene within seconds and took one suspect into custody. 12 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,658 No police weapons were discharged. 13 00:00:40,658 --> 00:00:43,942 We believe that two people exchanged gunfire outside 14 00:00:43,942 --> 00:00:45,618 the Seattle Center Armory. 15 00:00:46,759 --> 00:00:49,420 Seven victims were caught in the crossfire 16 00:00:49,420 --> 00:00:50,899 with a possible eighth. 17 00:00:52,179 --> 00:00:56,487 And again, Chief Scoggins will be providing more detail about 18 00:00:56,487 --> 00:00:58,560 the victims after my remarks. 19 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,621 A 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, and a 20 00:01:01,621 --> 00:01:03,920 56-year-old woman were killed. 21 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,061 Two died at the scene and a third passed away at 22 00:01:08,061 --> 00:01:10,019 Harborview Medical Center. 23 00:01:10,019 --> 00:01:12,655 Official identification will come from the King County 24 00:01:12,655 --> 00:01:14,000 Medical Examiner's Office. 25 00:01:15,060 --> 00:01:19,102 The Seattle Police Department detained a 15-year-old juvenile 26 00:01:19,102 --> 00:01:21,200 in connection with the shooting. 27 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,793 The teen was booked into the Judge Patricia H. 28 00:01:23,793 --> 00:01:25,774 Clark Children and Family Justice 29 00:01:25,774 --> 00:01:28,709 Center for investigation for firearms violations 30 00:01:28,709 --> 00:01:30,280 and first-degree assault. 31 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,861 We believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details 32 00:01:34,861 --> 00:01:36,718 are still under investigation. 33 00:01:37,879 --> 00:01:41,188 This individual will have a first appearance court 34 00:01:41,188 --> 00:01:42,498 hearing at 1.30 p.m. 35 00:01:42,498 --> 00:01:44,168 today. And again, we have not 36 00:01:44,168 --> 00:01:47,459 formally arrested anyone for investigation of homicide. 37 00:01:48,659 --> 00:01:50,858 We appreciate your patience, and we are releasing 38 00:01:50,858 --> 00:01:51,959 information when we can. 39 00:01:51,959 --> 00:01:55,840 Please remember that we are only 17 hours into this case. 40 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,519 I know there have been a lot of questions about this, so 41 00:01:58,519 --> 00:02:01,140 I do want to briefly address the timeline last night. 42 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,331 At Seattle Center, we had an active investigation ongoing, 43 00:02:06,331 --> 00:02:10,180 including a continued search for a possible second suspect. 44 00:02:10,180 --> 00:02:14,496 and SPD conducted a briefing with elected officials online 45 00:02:14,496 --> 00:02:18,377 at 9 p.m., including many people standing here today. 46 00:02:18,377 --> 00:02:21,669 We were advised that it was better for me and others 47 00:02:21,669 --> 00:02:23,080 not to be on the scene. 48 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,960 Once it became clear that SPD was ready to brief the press, 49 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,830 I, the governor, Congresswoman Jayapal, made our way 50 00:02:29,830 --> 00:02:32,556 rapidly to Seattle centers so that we would be able 51 00:02:32,556 --> 00:02:35,340 to be there to share that information with you all. 52 00:02:36,877 --> 00:02:37,979 What are we doing right now? 53 00:02:37,979 --> 00:02:41,280 So right now this is an all hands on deck response. 54 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,060 Investigating this tragedy has been taken 55 00:02:43,060 --> 00:02:46,280 on by nearly every part of our police department. 56 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,620 Our human services department victim advocates team is working 57 00:02:49,620 --> 00:02:53,437 with SPD to support the needs of the victims and their families. 58 00:02:53,437 --> 00:02:56,340 And we are so grateful for their incredible work and dedication. 59 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,657 Two victim advocates work alongside SPD detectives 60 00:03:00,657 --> 00:03:03,247 in the violent crimes unit it to help survivors navigate 61 00:03:03,247 --> 00:03:06,300 the criminal legal system, understand their rights, and 62 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:08,383 gain access to crime victims' compensation, 63 00:03:08,383 --> 00:03:09,479 among other resources. 64 00:03:11,038 --> 00:03:13,110 Community Passageways is reaching out to 65 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:15,538 the affected families immediately and offering 66 00:03:15,538 --> 00:03:18,625 in-home support to help families to understand and navigate 67 00:03:18,625 --> 00:03:22,060 hospital, legal, victim support, and other systems. 68 00:03:22,060 --> 00:03:25,312 The organization is also convening an emergency meeting 69 00:03:25,312 --> 00:03:28,294 to assess the possibility of retaliation, identify 70 00:03:28,294 --> 00:03:31,413 ongoing safety concerns, and help the people involved 71 00:03:31,413 --> 00:03:32,840 to navigate those risks. 72 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,900 Support is tailored to each family's circumstances. 73 00:03:35,900 --> 00:03:38,449 Our immediate priorities are to help families remain 74 00:03:38,449 --> 00:03:40,604 safe, reduce the risk of future violence, and 75 00:03:40,604 --> 00:03:42,931 make sure that they have practical and emotional 76 00:03:42,931 --> 00:03:45,538 support during the first days following the shooting. 77 00:03:47,340 --> 00:03:50,424 I want to acknowledge that this has been an especially 78 00:03:50,424 --> 00:03:52,000 tough week here in Seattle. 79 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,395 Thursday night there was a shooting near 80 00:03:54,395 --> 00:03:57,229 Aurora in North Seattle, again in Capitol Hill on 81 00:03:57,229 --> 00:04:00,340 Friday night, and now at the Seattle Center last night. 82 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:02,860 While the police department continues their investigations, 83 00:04:02,860 --> 00:04:05,681 we cannot let up on implementing a multi-pronged 84 00:04:05,681 --> 00:04:07,060 gun violence strategy. 85 00:04:07,060 --> 00:04:09,560 We know that gun violence can be prevented. 86 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,508 Evidence-based strategies have proven results in 87 00:04:12,508 --> 00:04:14,020 cities across the nation. 88 00:04:14,020 --> 00:04:16,668 We know that a successful gun violence reduction 89 00:04:16,668 --> 00:04:19,379 strategy is based on strong partnerships between 90 00:04:19,379 --> 00:04:22,709 community leaders who design and implement neighborhood-based 91 00:04:22,709 --> 00:04:25,317 prevention strategies, social service providers 92 00:04:25,317 --> 00:04:28,540 focused on the root causes of violence, community members with 93 00:04:28,540 --> 00:04:30,901 moral authority over group members who can 94 00:04:30,901 --> 00:04:33,459 deliver a credible message against violence, 95 00:04:33,459 --> 00:04:35,543 community members who can interrupt cycles of 96 00:04:35,543 --> 00:04:38,266 violence and de-escalate tensions before they erupt, 97 00:04:38,266 --> 00:04:40,778 and law enforcement who can hold group members 98 00:04:40,778 --> 00:04:43,894 accountable if they decide not to put down their guns. 99 00:04:43,894 --> 00:04:46,273 The City of Seattle is partnering with state, 100 00:04:46,273 --> 00:04:48,879 federal, and local government partners to launch a gun 101 00:04:48,879 --> 00:04:51,391 violence reduction strategy that will build on 102 00:04:51,391 --> 00:04:54,668 programs, services, and law enforcement efforts already 103 00:04:54,668 --> 00:04:57,500 underway. We will be bringing on an expert in gun 104 00:04:57,500 --> 00:05:00,646 violence reduction including youth violence prevention who 105 00:05:00,646 --> 00:05:03,451 will partner with city staff and our community-based 106 00:05:03,451 --> 00:05:06,540 partners. Chief Barnes and the Seattle Police Department 107 00:05:06,540 --> 00:05:08,906 will be implementing near-term strategies to 108 00:05:08,906 --> 00:05:11,261 amplify our summer efforts and I'll let the chief 109 00:05:11,261 --> 00:05:12,639 describe those momentarily 110 00:05:14,019 --> 00:05:16,754 we are committed to working in impacted neighborhoods 111 00:05:16,754 --> 00:05:19,603 across our city from Rainier Beach to the Chinatown 112 00:05:19,603 --> 00:05:22,975 International District and Little Saigon to Capitol 113 00:05:22,975 --> 00:05:25,939 Hill to North Aurora to address both the immediate 114 00:05:25,939 --> 00:05:28,415 impacts and the root causes of gun violence. 115 00:05:28,415 --> 00:05:31,023 And I also want to express appreciation for our city 116 00:05:31,023 --> 00:05:32,992 attorney Erica Evans for her leadership in 117 00:05:32,992 --> 00:05:35,415 beginning to use extreme risk protection orders to take 118 00:05:35,415 --> 00:05:37,819 guns away from people at high risk of committing violence. 119 00:05:39,259 --> 00:05:42,100 No one should have to fear for their safety or their 120 00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:45,350 life before attending an event, gathering with friends, 121 00:05:45,350 --> 00:05:46,838 or experiencing our city. 122 00:05:46,838 --> 00:05:49,545 No parent should have to worry that their kid won't come 123 00:05:49,545 --> 00:05:50,778 home at the end of the day. 124 00:05:52,620 --> 00:05:55,858 My heart is with the victims of last night's tragedy, and 125 00:05:55,858 --> 00:05:59,439 their families, and everyone who is suffering for their loss. 126 00:05:59,439 --> 00:06:02,298 And I also know that many people who were not physically 127 00:06:02,298 --> 00:06:05,035 injured will carry what they experienced yesterday 128 00:06:05,035 --> 00:06:06,338 with them for a long time. 129 00:06:06,338 --> 00:06:08,646 The terror and the trauma of gun violence reaches 130 00:06:08,646 --> 00:06:10,838 far beyond those who are struck by the bullets. 131 00:06:12,079 --> 00:06:14,923 I want to express profound gratitude to our police 132 00:06:14,923 --> 00:06:18,375 officers who were on the scene and responded immediately and 133 00:06:18,375 --> 00:06:20,935 with care and decisiveness, and to everyone at the 134 00:06:20,935 --> 00:06:23,379 Seattle Police Department who has been working nonstop 135 00:06:23,379 --> 00:06:24,680 since this tragedy occurred. 136 00:06:25,778 --> 00:06:28,882 And our Seattle firefighters and the medical personnel 137 00:06:28,882 --> 00:06:31,060 at Harborview who treated the injured, 138 00:06:31,060 --> 00:06:34,180 as well as Seattle Center and event staff and bystanders who 139 00:06:34,180 --> 00:06:36,843 helped people to reach safety and provided aid in 140 00:06:36,843 --> 00:06:38,500 terrifying circumstances. 141 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,790 We are in this together, and I'm going to turn the mic 142 00:06:41,790 --> 00:06:44,278 over to Chief Scoggins to provide some more information. 143 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:49,500 Good morning. 144 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,608 I want to lead with expressing condolences to all of 145 00:06:52,608 --> 00:06:55,860 the individuals and the families who lost loved ones. 146 00:06:55,860 --> 00:06:59,002 I'm going to cover the list of the individuals who passed 147 00:06:59,002 --> 00:07:01,800 away and who are still injured, and I'll start out first 148 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:03,019 with those who passed away. 149 00:07:04,220 --> 00:07:09,639 On scene, a 19-year-old male was declared deceased at the scene. 150 00:07:09,639 --> 00:07:15,060 On scene, a 44-year-old male was declared deceased at the scene. 151 00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:19,293 Our paramedics transported a 56-year-old female in serious 152 00:07:19,293 --> 00:07:23,278 condition who passed away at Harborview Medical Center. 153 00:07:23,278 --> 00:07:26,473 So those are the three individuals who passed away, two 154 00:07:26,473 --> 00:07:28,278 on scene and one at Harborview. 155 00:07:29,778 --> 00:07:34,038 Seattle Fire medics and EMTs treated a 40-year-old 156 00:07:34,038 --> 00:07:37,802 female with minor injuries who declined to be 157 00:07:37,802 --> 00:07:40,278 transported to the hospital. 158 00:07:40,278 --> 00:07:43,540 So treated but not transported. 159 00:07:43,540 --> 00:07:47,658 A 39-year-old female in stable condition was transported 160 00:07:47,658 --> 00:07:51,103 to Harborview and has since been discharged from 161 00:07:51,103 --> 00:07:53,120 Harborview Medical Center. 162 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,355 A 2-year-old male was transported to Harborview 163 00:07:56,355 --> 00:07:59,906 by Seattle Fire Paramedics and is still at Harborview 164 00:07:59,906 --> 00:08:01,800 in satisfactory condition. 165 00:08:02,899 --> 00:08:07,358 A 23-year-old male was transported in stable condition 166 00:08:07,358 --> 00:08:12,100 by paramedics to Harborview and has since been discharged. 167 00:08:12,100 --> 00:08:16,415 And last night, a 27-year-old male reported to UW Medical 168 00:08:16,415 --> 00:08:21,271 Center Montlake in satisfactory condition with a gunshot wound 169 00:08:21,271 --> 00:08:23,699 that has since been discharged. 170 00:08:23,699 --> 00:08:26,620 And that's possibly the eighth patient, but SPD 171 00:08:26,620 --> 00:08:29,540 has to follow up and interview this individual. 172 00:08:29,540 --> 00:08:31,420 Now I'll pass it to Chief Barnes. 173 00:08:37,677 --> 00:08:42,500 Certainly last night was a tragedy. 174 00:08:42,500 --> 00:08:45,692 It's becoming all too familiar in this community 175 00:08:45,692 --> 00:08:47,639 and many communities as well. 176 00:08:47,639 --> 00:08:52,105 Any loss of life due to gun violence is unacceptable, 177 00:08:52,105 --> 00:08:55,557 as is the terror it causes our community. 178 00:08:57,220 --> 00:09:00,673 Our department has been taking a lot of steps to address 179 00:09:00,673 --> 00:09:04,274 gun violence this year, and those steps will be increased 180 00:09:04,274 --> 00:09:08,177 following this tragic incident last night at Seattle Center. 181 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:14,600 An incident in which three people suffered fatal injuries. 182 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:20,700 Our hearts as a department, as a city, as a county, as a state, 183 00:09:20,700 --> 00:09:23,625 goes out to those victims and all who were 184 00:09:23,625 --> 00:09:25,519 affected by this tragedy. 185 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:32,298 Officers were assigned to work the Bite of Seattle event. 186 00:09:32,298 --> 00:09:34,200 The staffing was adequate. 187 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:35,677 The placement was good. 188 00:09:35,677 --> 00:09:37,527 That's one of the first things 189 00:09:37,527 --> 00:09:40,778 that I checked on when I got the first call around 630. 190 00:09:40,778 --> 00:09:45,230 And because of such, we believe that additional loss 191 00:09:45,230 --> 00:09:47,557 or injury of life occurred. 192 00:09:47,557 --> 00:09:52,639 Our officers, as well as members from the fire department, 193 00:09:52,639 --> 00:09:57,302 medic team, ran toward gunfire in an attempt to render 194 00:09:57,302 --> 00:10:02,072 life-saving aid and to disarm someone who was actively 195 00:10:02,072 --> 00:10:04,557 firing a weapon into a crowd. 196 00:10:06,519 --> 00:10:10,134 We believe that the bullets that were fired were from 197 00:10:10,134 --> 00:10:14,080 two individuals who appeared to be firing at one another. 198 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,988 And as the mayor stated, a 15-year-old suspect 199 00:10:16,988 --> 00:10:18,480 was taken into custody. 200 00:10:19,918 --> 00:10:23,980 We have a full complement of police officers working 201 00:10:23,980 --> 00:10:27,399 on this case, as well as professional staff. 202 00:10:27,399 --> 00:10:29,658 They work till about 4 a.m. 203 00:10:29,658 --> 00:10:31,418 They're at home now getting some rest. 204 00:10:31,418 --> 00:10:33,971 They've been replaced by officers who are working 205 00:10:33,971 --> 00:10:36,278 now, professional staff who are working now. 206 00:10:36,278 --> 00:10:38,798 We had our regularly scheduled 10 a.m. 207 00:10:38,798 --> 00:10:41,080 gun call, which is a gun screening, 208 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,206 where we analyze every case of gun violence that occur 209 00:10:44,206 --> 00:10:45,600 in our city twice a week. 210 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,019 We did that today in an attempt to bring everyone up to speed 211 00:10:50,019 --> 00:10:52,403 and so that everyone can participate in 212 00:10:52,403 --> 00:10:53,778 this particular case. 213 00:10:53,778 --> 00:10:59,831 We will leave no stone unturned to bring all of those who 214 00:10:59,831 --> 00:11:02,860 may be involved to justice. 215 00:11:02,860 --> 00:11:06,028 In Seattle, the problem of gun violence is 216 00:11:06,028 --> 00:11:08,019 worsened by small groups. 217 00:11:08,019 --> 00:11:10,840 We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other, 218 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:16,365 and in our city, 0.01% of the population is connected 219 00:11:16,365 --> 00:11:20,753 to 52% of our shootings, most of which are young people, 220 00:11:20,753 --> 00:11:24,500 which is why our department partners with community members, 221 00:11:24,500 --> 00:11:26,951 with our mayor's office, with our prosecutors and 222 00:11:26,951 --> 00:11:29,460 our federal partners, some of which are here today, 223 00:11:30,538 --> 00:11:33,620 to find the underlying causes of this. 224 00:11:33,620 --> 00:11:36,105 with us today is Bishop Witherspoon. 225 00:11:36,105 --> 00:11:38,033 He meets with me and a group of 226 00:11:38,033 --> 00:11:41,181 pastors almost monthly to talk about how we can help 227 00:11:41,181 --> 00:11:44,600 and come together as a community to not only end gun violence, 228 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,767 but to wrap our arms around kids that may be on the brink. 229 00:11:47,767 --> 00:11:50,182 This is very important work, I believe. 230 00:11:50,182 --> 00:11:53,408 This is the work that I got into policing to do. 231 00:11:53,408 --> 00:11:57,548 The department alone cannot fix the issue of gun violence. 232 00:11:57,548 --> 00:12:01,080 We need the entire system, the entire community to 233 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,750 come together to address this now. 234 00:12:03,750 --> 00:12:06,879 There is more work to be done but I believe 235 00:12:06,879 --> 00:12:09,442 that we can do it if we do it together. 236 00:12:09,442 --> 00:12:12,177 Again my heart goes out to everyone who 237 00:12:12,177 --> 00:12:14,792 was there, everyone who witnessed the gun violence. 238 00:12:14,792 --> 00:12:17,667 I want to thank all of our partners who are on the scene 239 00:12:17,667 --> 00:12:20,620 as well as our officers and professional staff but 240 00:12:20,620 --> 00:12:23,725 more importantly if you were there or you saw 241 00:12:23,725 --> 00:12:27,134 something or you witnessed something or you recorded 242 00:12:27,134 --> 00:12:30,019 something I want to give our violent crimes tip line 243 00:12:30,019 --> 00:12:33,590 which is two zero six two three three five thousand 244 00:12:33,590 --> 00:12:36,623 or you can simply call nine-one-one with your 245 00:12:36,623 --> 00:12:40,080 information so we can screen that with an investigator 246 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:40,639 Thank you. 247 00:12:46,820 --> 00:12:48,798 Okay, I think we're happy to take some questions. 248 00:12:48,798 --> 00:12:51,533 Can you clear up, Mayor, you put out information 249 00:12:51,533 --> 00:12:54,677 yesterday suggesting that two people were in custody. 250 00:12:54,677 --> 00:12:57,440 We're hearing that there's one person in custody. 251 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,682 It's unclear if that shooter is still on the loose or 252 00:13:00,682 --> 00:13:02,418 if the shooter is deceased. 253 00:13:02,418 --> 00:13:03,639 Can you clear that up? 254 00:13:03,639 --> 00:13:06,923 Yeah, so what I'll say, I think in complex situations like 255 00:13:06,923 --> 00:13:08,840 this, information flies around. 256 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,586 And so that initial report that we got of two suspects 257 00:13:11,586 --> 00:13:12,960 in custody was incorrect. 258 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,990 And that's part of why it's taken us a while to be able 259 00:13:15,990 --> 00:13:19,019 to stand here and say this is accurate information. 260 00:13:19,019 --> 00:13:21,259 In terms of the status of the potential second suspect, 261 00:13:21,259 --> 00:13:23,399 I'm going to bump that question over to Chief Barnes. 262 00:13:24,820 --> 00:13:27,820 Yeah, we were receiving information that a second 263 00:13:27,820 --> 00:13:30,820 suspect potentially ran toward the IMAX theater. 264 00:13:30,820 --> 00:13:33,720 So that may have been where some of the confusion were. 265 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,820 We used our SWAT team as well as other resources 266 00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:40,798 to slowly and meticulously search that area 267 00:13:40,798 --> 00:13:42,500 just in case someone was hiding out there. 268 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:43,820 We did not find anyone. 269 00:13:43,820 --> 00:13:48,519 In fact, that search really ended probably about 15 minutes 270 00:13:48,519 --> 00:13:50,440 before the press conference last night, 271 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,427 which could be one of the causes of the delay that 272 00:13:53,427 --> 00:13:55,000 you spoke about earlier. 273 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,759 So is there a second shooter on the loose right now? 274 00:13:56,759 --> 00:13:58,384 There is a second shooter. 275 00:13:58,384 --> 00:14:01,120 We're trying to identify who that person is. 276 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:02,932 Our officers need your help. 277 00:14:02,932 --> 00:14:05,197 If someone saw something or perhaps 278 00:14:05,197 --> 00:14:08,899 if someone has some video, we need to identify that person. 279 00:14:08,899 --> 00:14:11,734 We do believe that there was an exchange of gunfire. 280 00:14:11,734 --> 00:14:13,778 We have one person in custody that our 281 00:14:13,778 --> 00:14:15,360 officers took into custody. 282 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,500 We need to figure out who that other person is. 283 00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:20,503 Chief, you know that people are angry that this was five 284 00:14:20,503 --> 00:14:23,442 hours that your department waited to tell people that 285 00:14:23,442 --> 00:14:25,139 there is a shooter on the loose. 286 00:14:25,139 --> 00:14:27,820 Why wait five hours to tell people? 287 00:14:27,820 --> 00:14:30,004 And then here we are 17 hours later, and you still 288 00:14:30,004 --> 00:14:31,100 don't have that person. 289 00:14:31,100 --> 00:14:32,778 Yeah, again, again, you're right. 290 00:14:32,778 --> 00:14:34,899 We do not have that person in custody, but we 291 00:14:34,899 --> 00:14:36,019 wanted to get it right. 292 00:14:36,019 --> 00:14:38,918 Again, we were searching the IMAX theater. 293 00:14:38,918 --> 00:14:41,557 It was possible that that person could have ran in there. 294 00:14:41,557 --> 00:14:44,283 If that person would have been taken into custody, that would 295 00:14:44,283 --> 00:14:45,620 have been our second shooter. 296 00:14:45,620 --> 00:14:46,940 But we're still looking for it. 297 00:14:46,940 --> 00:14:48,677 We understand that people are angry. 298 00:14:48,677 --> 00:14:49,820 You should be. 299 00:14:49,820 --> 00:14:51,139 Everyone should be angry. 300 00:14:51,139 --> 00:14:53,278 But with that anger, you should also be asking yourself, 301 00:14:53,278 --> 00:14:55,200 what can I do to prevent this? 302 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:56,658 We have to start partnering together. 303 00:14:56,658 --> 00:14:59,105 We have to start working together on this 304 00:14:59,105 --> 00:15:01,701 issue of gun violence and getting information 305 00:15:01,701 --> 00:15:04,000 out and providing opportunities for people 306 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,100 so that things like this do not happen. 307 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:12,235 If I had really a crystal ball, it would be that we could 308 00:15:12,235 --> 00:15:15,057 work with our young people, work with our groups, 309 00:15:15,057 --> 00:15:17,418 and make sure that they understand that this 310 00:15:17,418 --> 00:15:18,440 is not the way to go. 311 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,580 This incident affected a lot of people. 312 00:15:21,580 --> 00:15:24,822 Internally, people who visited our amazing city 313 00:15:24,822 --> 00:15:28,620 were just coming off a very successful event with the FIFA 314 00:15:28,620 --> 00:15:31,791 where we had no incidents, and to have something 315 00:15:31,791 --> 00:15:35,278 like this this weekend is definitely unacceptable. 316 00:15:35,278 --> 00:15:38,609 But Chief, the mayor's office put out misinformation, 317 00:15:38,609 --> 00:15:39,840 and that is serious. 318 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:41,922 You know, as people are trying to put the pieces together, is 319 00:15:41,922 --> 00:15:42,879 it safe for me to go outside? 320 00:15:42,879 --> 00:15:44,399 Is there a second shooter? 321 00:15:44,399 --> 00:15:46,360 Do you take that seriously? 322 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,360 And this question would go directly to the mayor. 323 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,879 What can be done to assure that never happens again? 324 00:15:51,879 --> 00:15:53,440 Let me say this. 325 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:54,480 Right, let me say this. 326 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,000 Yes, we take our jobs very seriously. 327 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,743 And so we want to get out information as early 328 00:16:01,743 --> 00:16:03,298 and as often as possible. 329 00:16:03,298 --> 00:16:06,363 It is unfortunate that sometimes, in any situation, 330 00:16:06,363 --> 00:16:08,940 early information is sometimes incorrect. 331 00:16:08,940 --> 00:16:10,620 But what do you do when that happens? 332 00:16:10,620 --> 00:16:13,379 You correct that information and then you move forward. 333 00:16:13,379 --> 00:16:14,557 How do we get better? 334 00:16:14,557 --> 00:16:15,879 We get better by going back. 335 00:16:15,879 --> 00:16:18,618 We do after-action reviews, which we will do on this case, 336 00:16:18,618 --> 00:16:21,298 and we'll try to ensure that the information is correct. 337 00:16:21,298 --> 00:16:25,840 But we have to get something out to our community when we can. 338 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,538 Chief, can you clear on last night? 339 00:16:27,538 --> 00:16:28,899 No, you go ahead, Mike. 340 00:16:28,899 --> 00:16:30,360 Were you in town yesterday? 341 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:31,658 I was not in town yesterday. 342 00:16:31,658 --> 00:16:35,346 I wish that I had a crystal ball and we could schedule 343 00:16:35,346 --> 00:16:37,320 gun violence, but we can't. 344 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,163 Yesterday I was in Dallas at the National Organization 345 00:16:40,163 --> 00:16:42,759 of Black Law Enforcement Executives Conference. 346 00:16:42,759 --> 00:16:44,840 It's their 50th anniversary. 347 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,979 At that conference, two members from our community 348 00:16:47,979 --> 00:16:49,220 were being honored. 349 00:16:49,220 --> 00:16:52,139 One of our pastors was given an award for his 350 00:16:52,139 --> 00:16:55,658 work in the community, and one of our officers, one of 351 00:16:55,658 --> 00:16:58,403 our CSOs, was given an award, and I wanted to 352 00:16:58,403 --> 00:16:59,460 be there for that. 353 00:16:59,460 --> 00:17:01,259 That's why I was not here. 354 00:17:01,259 --> 00:17:03,283 Do you have video of this incident from 355 00:17:03,283 --> 00:17:04,356 the Seattle Center? 356 00:17:04,356 --> 00:17:06,680 You reviewed it yet? 357 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,778 I do not know if we have video of it. 358 00:17:09,778 --> 00:17:11,798 I have not had a briefing on that just yet. 359 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:23,837 I'm not sure where the camera placement are. 360 00:17:23,837 --> 00:17:27,596 Those, the video unit, they're probably at home asleep now. 361 00:17:27,596 --> 00:17:30,077 They'll give me another second briefing this afternoon. 362 00:17:30,077 --> 00:17:31,240 We'll be able to answer that question. 363 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,077 We're going to let the mayor answer the question. 364 00:17:35,077 --> 00:17:35,640 Hang on. 365 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,593 Yeah, I'll just say I've been told that the Seattle 366 00:17:38,593 --> 00:17:41,267 Center does have cameras, and we are in the process 367 00:17:41,267 --> 00:17:43,576 of pulling out footage to see if there's anything 368 00:17:43,576 --> 00:17:44,479 relevant in there. 369 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,173 Well, to back up on that, too, you know, the CCTV cameras 370 00:17:47,173 --> 00:17:48,519 have been a real *unintelligible*. 371 00:17:48,519 --> 00:17:50,567 This could have happened in the Stadium District, 372 00:17:50,567 --> 00:17:52,617 and you decided to turn those off pending an audit. 373 00:17:52,617 --> 00:17:53,577 How do you feel now? 374 00:17:56,038 --> 00:17:59,221 The safety of the residents of Seattle is my highest 375 00:17:59,221 --> 00:18:02,180 responsibility and I take that very seriously. 376 00:18:02,180 --> 00:18:05,654 In the course that we've charted on the CCTV cameras, which 377 00:18:05,654 --> 00:18:08,799 is a matter of public record, that means balancing various 378 00:18:08,799 --> 00:18:11,336 kinds of safety, safety for different communities, 379 00:18:11,337 --> 00:18:12,875 and that is the motivation behind the course 380 00:18:12,875 --> 00:18:13,538 that we're taking. 381 00:18:13,538 --> 00:18:14,460 Chief, I'm a follow-up. 382 00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:18,259 Could you reconcile for me? 383 00:18:18,259 --> 00:18:20,699 Last night we were told public is in no danger, 384 00:18:20,699 --> 00:18:22,239 nothing to worry about here. 385 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,680 And then on the other hand, we hear that there is still 386 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:25,900 a second suspect at large. 387 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:27,577 How do you reconcile the two of those? 388 00:18:27,577 --> 00:18:29,886 Yeah, I think you may have been, you know, 389 00:18:29,886 --> 00:18:32,813 whenever there's a shooting and we're looking for 390 00:18:32,813 --> 00:18:35,400 suspects and that person is not in custody, 391 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,400 there's always a danger, right? 392 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:40,469 And so what we want to get out to the public is 393 00:18:40,469 --> 00:18:43,337 that the interior scene, what we call our inner 394 00:18:43,337 --> 00:18:44,538 perimeter, was secure. 395 00:18:44,538 --> 00:18:47,160 I believe that's the message that we were trying to get out. 396 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,277 We had a second scene that was only cleared a couple of 397 00:18:50,277 --> 00:18:52,259 minutes before the actual press. 398 00:18:52,259 --> 00:18:56,163 And so we're trying to get information out 399 00:18:56,163 --> 00:18:57,836 as often as we can. 400 00:18:57,837 --> 00:19:01,699 But our focus is on the search for the suspect. 401 00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:04,730 And so we will certainly, as I stated before, we 402 00:19:04,730 --> 00:19:07,920 have no problem with doing after action reviews, 403 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:09,921 understanding how to work better with our 404 00:19:09,921 --> 00:19:12,347 communication strategy, making sure you get the 405 00:19:12,347 --> 00:19:15,057 information that you need so that you can do your job, 406 00:19:15,057 --> 00:19:15,920 which is what? 407 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,634 To ensure that our public is informed on 408 00:19:18,634 --> 00:19:21,290 public safety matters because I believe that 409 00:19:21,290 --> 00:19:23,479 the public has a right to participate in their 410 00:19:23,479 --> 00:19:24,400 own public safety. 411 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,700 They can only do that if we get our information out, 412 00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:28,680 and that's what we're going to try to do. 413 00:19:30,259 --> 00:19:33,326 Do you have an idea of motive, Is there any indication 414 00:19:33,326 --> 00:19:35,160 that this is related to gang activity? 415 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,088 I don't know if it's gang activity, but 416 00:19:37,088 --> 00:19:38,480 certainly group activity. 417 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:43,896 We have to determine the nexus behind what happened. 418 00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:47,086 Obviously, with someone so young, we have to determine 419 00:19:47,086 --> 00:19:50,000 if this person is a part of a group or a part of a gang, 420 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,660 what the ongoing conflict was, but we're going to do that. 421 00:19:53,660 --> 00:19:54,680 Our officers are going to work. 422 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,816 We do have an intelligence section that's going 423 00:19:56,816 --> 00:19:58,896 to work to identify everyone that was involved 424 00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:02,136 to see if there is some connection between the two. 425 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:04,355 But then once we do that, we have to verify 426 00:20:04,355 --> 00:20:05,597 that connection. 427 00:20:05,597 --> 00:20:08,920 Possible that one of the victims that 428 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,140 died last night is the second shooter. 429 00:20:11,140 --> 00:20:12,979 It is possible, but we do not know 430 00:20:12,979 --> 00:20:14,673 that that is the case until we do 431 00:20:14,673 --> 00:20:15,900 the investigation. 432 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:19,364 We will make sure again you just stated that accuracy 433 00:20:19,364 --> 00:20:21,220 is important, so we want to take our time and 434 00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:22,259 make sure that we're accurate. 435 00:20:22,259 --> 00:20:22,790 Go ahead. 436 00:20:22,790 --> 00:20:24,814 Two people shooting at each other is a 437 00:20:24,814 --> 00:20:27,085 lot different than one person firing 438 00:20:27,085 --> 00:20:29,222 indiscriminately. I think this is the 439 00:20:29,222 --> 00:20:31,057 first time we're hearing that, 17 hours later. 440 00:20:31,057 --> 00:20:33,538 What commitment do you all make as elected leaders 441 00:20:33,538 --> 00:20:35,959 to make that transparency earlier in the process 442 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:38,441 so people aren't waiting three to five hours without 443 00:20:38,441 --> 00:20:39,400 any sort of clarity? 444 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,691 Yeah, I'll just reiterate that there's a tension here between 445 00:20:42,691 --> 00:20:45,941 providing information quickly and providing information 446 00:20:45,941 --> 00:20:47,077 accurately, right? 447 00:20:47,077 --> 00:20:49,402 So if we had been reporting up to the minute everything 448 00:20:49,402 --> 00:20:51,115 that we were hearing and the swirl that 449 00:20:51,115 --> 00:20:53,212 happened last night, there would have been a lot 450 00:20:53,212 --> 00:20:55,355 of inaccuracies out there that would have confused 451 00:20:55,355 --> 00:20:57,396 people and that we then would have had to correct. 452 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,727 So we are managing this tension, and we are doing the best that 453 00:21:00,727 --> 00:21:03,855 we can to provide accurate information in a timely manner 454 00:21:03,855 --> 00:21:05,616 without increasing confusion. 455 00:21:05,617 --> 00:21:08,959 Is there a reason Seattle wasn't used? 456 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,286 You have a text from your emergency response 457 00:21:12,286 --> 00:21:16,421 where you can, during an emergency, send text messages 458 00:21:16,421 --> 00:21:18,038 out to a lot of people. 459 00:21:18,038 --> 00:21:20,856 Is there a reason that no text messages were sent out? 460 00:21:20,857 --> 00:21:23,189 It seems like that could have been a way to 461 00:21:23,189 --> 00:21:24,557 notify people quickly. 462 00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:30,700 I'm not sure that that's a tool that we normally use 463 00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:32,200 in situations like this. 464 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,459 Well, it claims the website says it's used for emergencies. 465 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:38,740 It seems like it's probably a pretty serious emergency. 466 00:21:38,740 --> 00:21:41,285 I think we were focusing on getting accurate information 467 00:21:41,285 --> 00:21:43,460 out through our normal communications channels 468 00:21:43,460 --> 00:21:48,116 and also not creating undue fear and confusion. 469 00:21:48,117 --> 00:21:53,096 We were told on the scene around 11 o'clock, 470 00:21:53,097 --> 00:21:54,317 right before the press conference started, 471 00:21:54,317 --> 00:21:56,900 that they're waiting for dignitaries to show up. 472 00:21:56,900 --> 00:21:59,160 So a lot of people in the public right now believe 473 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:01,538 the reason why there was a five-hour delay 474 00:22:01,538 --> 00:22:03,165 was because we had politicians who wanted to 475 00:22:03,165 --> 00:22:04,179 get in front of the cameras. 476 00:22:04,180 --> 00:22:05,420 I want to get you on the record. 477 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:07,500 Is that true? 478 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:10,220 Was the delay at all to do with because you needed politicians 479 00:22:10,220 --> 00:22:11,500 to get in front of the camera? 480 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,220 No, that is absolutely not the case. 481 00:22:13,220 --> 00:22:16,200 Okay, so as I stated before, last night at Seattle Center, 482 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,876 what we had was a scene of an active investigation 483 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,478 where SPD was searching the grounds for a 484 00:22:21,478 --> 00:22:23,160 possible second suspect. 485 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,326 And there are times when elected officials' 486 00:22:25,326 --> 00:22:28,278 presence is not helpful, and that was one of those times. 487 00:22:28,278 --> 00:22:30,519 We don't want our law enforcement distracted 488 00:22:30,519 --> 00:22:33,220 taking care of elected officials when they have work to do. 489 00:22:33,220 --> 00:22:35,140 ...direction from Governor Ferguson's office 490 00:22:35,140 --> 00:22:38,720 or from the Capitol's office to wait to do the press conference 491 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:39,720 until they got to the scene? 492 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,817 As soon as we coordinated with SPD 493 00:22:42,817 --> 00:22:45,979 and agreed that it was time to talk to the media, 494 00:22:45,980 --> 00:22:47,900 as soon as we knew that we were going to be doing that, 495 00:22:47,900 --> 00:22:51,336 I and Governor Ferguson and Congresswoman Jayapal 496 00:22:51,337 --> 00:22:52,999 arrived on the scene within minutes. 497 00:22:52,999 --> 00:22:55,180 So you can say his office unequivocally 498 00:22:55,180 --> 00:22:56,919 did not tell you to wait? 499 00:22:56,919 --> 00:22:57,979 No, absolutely not. 500 00:22:57,980 --> 00:22:59,159 So then what was the delay? 501 00:22:59,159 --> 00:23:00,557 Because there's basic information, 502 00:23:00,557 --> 00:23:02,337 and I know SPD has gotten training on this 503 00:23:02,337 --> 00:23:04,376 and paid a pretty penny for it. 504 00:23:04,376 --> 00:23:07,304 What was the delay in the basics, the ABCs and the 505 00:23:07,304 --> 00:23:08,837 1, 2, 3s of what happened? 506 00:23:08,837 --> 00:23:11,451 You had people running, you had people shot on the ground with 507 00:23:11,451 --> 00:23:13,707 bullet holes in their backs, covered in white sheets, 508 00:23:13,707 --> 00:23:15,856 and we are sitting there waiting, waiting, waiting. 509 00:23:15,857 --> 00:23:18,078 The only thing that we had was a tweet and 510 00:23:18,078 --> 00:23:20,501 people who were afraid and a lot of information on 511 00:23:20,501 --> 00:23:21,960 social media filling the vacuum. 512 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:24,807 So why is it that citizens in the city of Seattle 513 00:23:24,807 --> 00:23:27,659 had to wait for almost five hours to get answers 514 00:23:27,659 --> 00:23:30,159 It's something so serious that's made national headlines. 515 00:23:31,597 --> 00:23:34,602 Yeah, I mean, my office put out a statement at 8:30, which again 516 00:23:34,602 --> 00:23:36,219 included an initial inaccuracy. 517 00:23:36,220 --> 00:23:38,394 So again, this speaks to the tension between providing 518 00:23:38,394 --> 00:23:40,519 information early and providing it accurately. 519 00:23:40,519 --> 00:23:43,192 So we, along with SPD, were trying to manage that tension 520 00:23:43,192 --> 00:23:45,462 and we got information out to all as soon as we 521 00:23:45,462 --> 00:23:46,440 possibly could. 522 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:47,396 I think that's pretty good.