Two people were killed and three others were injured in a "targeted" shooting at a Seattle homeless encampment on Tuesday, police said.
The Seattle Police Department said gunfire was reported at around 7:15 p.m. local time (10:15 p.m. ET) in a wooded area known as "The Jungle."
Officers discovered five victims — three men and two women — suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. One man was pronounced dead at the scene while another died at a nearby hospital.
Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said at least two suspects have been identified in the crime. While no arrests have been made, she said police had "no reason to believe" anyone else was in danger or that the Seattle's homeless should be fearful.
“We believe this was a targeted incident," she told a press conference. "We don't think they were targeted because they’re homeless. They were targeted specifically because of who they were.”
The shooting occurred at around the same time Seattle Mayor Ed Murray was delivering a special address on homelessness at a center about two miles away.
Murray declared a state of emergency in November over the city's homeless population — and city workers were scheduled to enter the area around Tuesday's shooting to offer services to those living there.
The mayor said the tragedy underscored the urgent need to "go into these encampments," clean up and "try and get people out."
"I can’t help but wonder, did I act too late? ... Maybe I should have issued the state of emergency months earlier," Murray said. "We have tried to do the best that we can."
Officials did not release details on the shooting's motive or victims' identities.
Harborview Medical Center said it had received the gunshot victims but one man died shortly after arrival. The other three — two women and one male — underwent surgery, Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg said, with one female was in serious condition while the other two victims were in critical condition.
