Several gunshots were heard during the taping of an interview inside the activist-held Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ/CHOP) in Seattle, Washington. The area has seen several shootings in recent weeks.
A video posted on social media shows an interview being conducted inside CHAZ. Suddenly, what appears to be gunfire is heard in the background. “That’s not a firework,” the person being interviewed says. Several people are then seen running down the street.
Reports indicated there is an “active shooter” in the area, and videos from the scene showed people hiding in panic. Some were even filmed arming themselves and going to search for the attacker.
Later Monday, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best confirmed two black men were shot in the early hours of the morning in the enclave. One was killed and the second victim - aged 14 - has been hospitalized with serious injuries. Officers believe the two were inside a white Jeep Cherokee when someone shot into the vehicle.
Best told local reporters that witnesses to the shooting are not cooperating with investigators.
Three shootings have already taken place in the enclave in recent weeks, with the earlier incidents killing one person and wounding several.
The CHAZ encampment was set up across a roughly six-block area downtown in the wake of protests against racism and police brutality. Police have since warned that they have had trouble responding to reports of crime from within the enclave due to the occupants’ hostility towards law enforcement.
Also on rt.com Local businesses sue Seattle for ‘enabling’ chaotic CHAZ encampment that led to ‘rampant violence’Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!