Shots Fired: King county prosecutor releases report on gun violence for first half of 2020

Tuesday the King county prosecutor released stats on gun violence in King County from the first half of the year as part of their “Shots Fired” project, launched in 2017.

Their report:

We know violence is contagious. By tracking and analyzing gun violence in our county this groundbreaking project provides critical insights aimed at empowering a public health approach to gun violence prevention and intervention efforts.

The data show the number of overall shooting victims (140) is up 21% from the three year average (115) with a 44% increase in the number of people killed from guns and a 16% increase in the number of people who were shot and survived.

Our analysis also makes clear gun violence is an equity issue— shooting victims were disproportionately young people of color. Of the 140 shooting victims from 2020 Q1-Q2, 87% were male; 42% were under the age of 25; and 73% were people of color.

Our office is in partnership with three community-based organizations to fund violence prevention services, and we secured state funding for a project aimed at using this data to prioritize community engagement with those most at risk of gun violence.

Read the full report here