Seattle Now Gun violence in King County is trending down, but there's still work to do
Feb 17, 2026
Amy Radel, KUOW courts and politics reporter, breaks down King County’s 'Shots Fired' data. She explains the report’s methods and who is most affected. She highlights recent trends, geographic and demographic shifts, local policing tactics, privacy debates over surveillance, and community and nonprofit responses.
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Countywide Gun Violence Arc
- King County's shots-fired data show a spike after 2019 and a decline back to 2019 victim levels by 2025.
- The trend mirrors national patterns but lagged locally, rising through 2023 then falling into 2025.
Shifts In Who Is Most Affected
- The latest quarterly report showed reductions especially for Black males, youth 17 and under, and South King County residents.
- For the first time in five years Black males were not the majority of victims in that quarter.
South King County Improvement
- South King County's gun violence rate recently dropped below Seattle's after years above it.
- That crossover indicates improving conditions in areas previously bearing heavier burdens.