Less than a week after Seattle leaders celebrated the soft opening of the city’s $750 million Downtown Waterfront revitalization, a broad daylight shooting near Pier 58 has reignited public safety concerns in the heart of the city’s tourist district.
At approximately 4:10 p.m. Thursday, Seattle police responded to a shooting on the 900 block of Alaskan Way. A 68-year-old man in a wheelchair had been shot in the chest following an altercation with another man. Witnesses reported that the incident began when the suspect allegedly took a belonging from the victim. The wheelchair-bound victim brandished a knife, prompting the suspect to open fire.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers nearby intervened immediately, detaining the suspect until Seattle police arrived. The suspect was later booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he remains in serious but stable condition.
The shooting occurred adjacent to the newly unveiled Pier 58, part of a massive redevelopment effort designed to rejuvenate Seattle’s struggling downtown. The full grand opening is scheduled for September 6. But the violence highlights a persistent issue plaguing the city: unchecked street crime and a severely understaffed police force.
Despite the city’s ambitions, Seattle’s downtown has seen an exodus of businesses in recent years, including major retailers like Target, Nike, and Amazon Go. Many cited rampant crime, drug use, and minimal police presence as key reasons for their departure.
Seattle’s police department currently operates with fewer than 850 officers—well below the city’s minimum staffing requirement. Nearly 280 officers are eligible for retirement, further threatening public safety. SPD reports under-minimum staffing for every shift across all precincts.
The city’s current crisis traces back to 2020, when in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the Seattle City Council voted to defund the police. More than 700 officers resigned or retired in the years that followed. Violent crime surged, and the city broke homicide records.
One council vote to cut funding followed the stabbing death of a city social worker by her homeless client—an event that highlighted the risks of relying solely on social services in place of law enforcement.
In April 2025, the Seattle City Council officially reversed its defund stance and voted to restore police funding. But the effects of prior policy decisions continue to linger, as underscored by Thursday’s shooting.
