2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle

SEATTLE - Two men were fatally shot and a third was critically wounded at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood Saturday evening.

One person died at the scene and the second died at Harborview Medical Center. The third was also taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said at a news conference at Cal Anderson Park shortly after midnight on Sunday.

Officers first responded to the reports of violence around 10:30 p.m., according to a Seattle 911 call log.

Police were searching for a fourth man who was possibly “associated” with the shooting, according to Diaz, who said the department is seeking video footage in the area at the scene Saturday. Diaz initially said three people had died, but corrected himself shortly after.

The police department didn’t provide information on whether the shooter remained at large, if there were multiple shooters, or any details on what led to the incident.

The shooting occurred in the center of Seattle’s nightlife district as people packed the neighborhood’s bars and restaurants during one of the first warm evenings of the year.

“We have a lot of people out here who are trying to enjoy their night and then this is what happens,” Diaz said. “People are too quick to pick up a gun.”

Saturday’s shooting is at least the eighth to occur on Capitol Hill in 2023, according to Seattle crime data. On April 1, Elijah Lewis and his 9-year-old nephew were shot after a dispute on East Pine Street with a man riding a scooter escalated into gunfire. Lewis, 23, an entrepreneur and community activist, died from his injuries.

Seattle Times staff photographer Daniel Kim contributed to this report.