Gunfire broke out and brought a massive police response after an altercation reported Wednesday afternoon at Garfield High School. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the gunfire but Seattle Fire was called to treat a teen with a laceration to the face.
Police were called to a reported fight disturbance near the school’s football field around 12:15 PM as shots fired were suddenly reported in the area. According to East Precinct radio updates, police found shell casings near MLK and Alder. A house in the area — ten blocks away — also reported a bullet through a window.
The school and other facilities in the area were put into lockdown though many students were leaving campus for lunch.
“Garfield High School: Garfield High School is currently in a shelter in place,” a message sent to school families reads. “SPD is on site. Students cannot be dismissed until the shelter is lifted. Additional details will be provided shortly.”
Police were searching for multiple vehicles reported to have been involved in the incident.
Wednesday’s gun violence follows a fatal shooting last week at 25th and Union.
Earlier this year, a series of gun violence incidents near Garfield brought increased police patrols and school district security at the 23rd Ave campus. In June, SPD announced a “Community Violence Task Force” would focus efforts and federal funding on four areas of the city including the Central District.
Tuesday night, police rushed to a Broadway parking lot after a man reportedly opened fire. There were no reported injuries and no arrests.
UPDATE 2:20 PM: Police reported one person was in custody at a nearby residence where a vehicle with what appeared to be fresh bullet damage believed to have been involved in the shooting and a nearby street robbery was located and police had taken up positions surrounding the house, trying to contact those inside. A witness reported a group of teens had exited the vehicle and fled inside.
Meanwhile, Garfield announced its campus lockdown had been lifted as of 2:13 PM — about 10 minutes before the Wednesday “early release” end of the school day.
10/11/2023: SPD reports that it ultimately did not make an arrest and the person was contacted and released.
UPDATE: 5:45 PM: In a message to families, Garfield principal Tarance Hart said the altercation began as “a conflict between two students” and chalked up the gun violence as an incident “between two families and not a direct threat to our school.”
Today, Garfield High School went into a shelter-in-place because of an altercation that began on the Garfield campus with a conflict between two students. This incident was between two families and not a direct threat to our school. All students and staff are safe. Our standard Wednesday dismissal schedule was followed.
As a reminder, during a shelter-in-place, all exterior doors are locked, students remain indoors and the standard school day continues.
There were also reports of gunfire in our neighborhood but NOT on our campus. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) quickly responded to that incident. SPD is investigating, and we do not know if Garfield students or families were involved in the incident involving a gun off campus. An investigation is still in progress.
We are working diligently to learn more about what happened and how to ensure a safe school environment for our students. Outdoor after-school activities are canceled. Indoor activities will continue as planned today.
Students may have witnessed the increased police presence as the SPD responded to the situation. SPD remained on the Garfield campus through dismissal.
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Here to say how incredibly valuable these timely articles are to parents of Garfield students. THANK YOU
Yes. Agree. This was the first information I could find after getting the text alert (which contained almost no info).
Thanks for the immediate and helpful info. Note: this was a “shelter-in-place,” not a lockdown. (A lockdown is for the gravest threats – here’s an article that includes an explanation.)
Thanks for the PTSD!
You know what?? After almost 40 years living in Seattle, I can say that the recent news reports about gun violence in our city is well past alarming. I keep thinking that the statistics are just some sweeps week mania the news outlets like to push, but the number of these red alert incidents are truly statistically significant. What a t total mess!
Not according to “Greycat” -according to Greycat we are all a bunch of whiny gentrifiers. But yes Tim, I completely agree with you, also as a long time CD/CH resident.
Garfield followed up that the lock down started with an on campus fight between 2 students. There was also gun fire at a house blocks away. Not clear if there was a link, but SPD has a suspect in custody. Nothing in the Seattle Times about this
Thank you so much for this initial and updated report. After getting the text from school (I am a parent) this was the first place I looked for more information.
Gun violence will continue to be common because we allow citizens to access guns freely and easily.
Spoken like a person who has never purchased a gun. There is nothing free nor easy about the process. More likely than not the shooters are under 21 years of age (illegal), possessing stollen guns (illegal), and discharging a firearm within the city limits (usually illegal). The laws exist, time to arrest and prosecute with prejudice.
Where do stolen guns come from? Exactly. Ban them all. Arresting and prosecuting people won’t resurrect the dead. By the time someone goes to prison it’s too late. By the time the police show up it’s too late.
Really tired of this gun b.s. Find these people and lock them up for a long, long time. Get your act together Seattle.