Shooting in Seattle Anarchist Zone Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured

One person was killed and another was in critical condition in a pre-dawn shooting in Seattle’s anarchist protest zone, authorities said Saturday.

The shooting happened at around 3 a.m. in the area near downtown known as CHOP, which stands for “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone, police said in a statement on Twitter.

Seattle Police Sgt. Lauren Truscott told The Seattle Times that she didn’t know whether police had taken anyone into custody and that she had no immediate details about how the shooting unfolded.

Investigators were reviewing public-source video and body-camera video for clues and authorities planned to disclose more information about the shooting later, Truscott said.

Two males with gunshot wounds arrived in a private vehicle at Harborview Medical Center at around 3 a.m., according to hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg.

One died and the other one was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Protesters have cordoned off several blocks near a police station in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and declared themselves autonomous in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis several weeks ago.

The zone’s leader has demanded the abolition of the Seattle Police Department and the criminal justice system.

Police have largely retreated from the zone after violent clashes with rioters. City officials have said they are still communicating with CHOP leaders who had attempted to keep the peace in the zone.

The situation has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who tweeted that he will ‘take back’ Seattle if its Democratic leaders don’t.