Report: In 2024, Gun violence in King County decreased for the first time since 2018

A new report from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office shows that gun violence levels are trending downward for the first time since 2018. 

Year over year, the number of fatal shooting victims and non-fatal shooting victims are down across King County. More data is still required to confirm a sustained decline in gun violence but this potentially signals a mirroring of decreasing gun violence trends nationally over the past few years.

However, concerns remain including an increase in youth gun violence (youth shooting victims doubled from 2019 to 2024), people of color continue to be overrepresented among shooting victims, and the overall level of gun violence remains higher than it was before the pandemic.

“While we still have significant work to do, these numbers are encouraging,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion.

“We will keep working on all fronts — in court, with our community partners, and in Olympia — to get guns out of the hands of kids and fighting to ensure King County is safe for all our residents.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell commented,

“Gun violence is a serious challenge in Seattle and around the country, but this report shows that progress is possible in our region when we take coordinated action.

 “I want to thank King County for their ongoing partnership in this work to keep our community safe. Together, we are strengthening programs to reduce youth gun violence, taking action to hold gun traffickers accountable, and advocating for state and federal reforms to keep deadly weapons out of the wrong hands.”

Historical Comparisons

Compared to the average number of shots fired incidents for the previous five years, incidents in 2024 (1591) were up 37% (+430) and the number of shooting victims (394) were up by just 1% (+3). The number of fatal shooting victims (75) decreased 5% (-4) and nonfatal shooting victims (369) increased 2% (+7) over the five year average.

Shooting Victim Demographics

Of the 394 shooting victims, 82% were male; 26% were aged between 18–24; and 76% were people of color. While overall gun violence has been increasing since 2018, there was a decrease in the number of shooting victims from 2023, which has fallen to under 400 for the first time since 2020.

Youth Gun Violence

Concerning trends persist with youth gun violence, which continues to remain high. The number of shooting victims in 2024 aged between 0–17 represented 15% of total shooting victims, compared to 9% in 2023. 

Additionally, the number of youth shooting victims (61) in 2024 has doubled from 2019 numbers and increased sharply by 45% (+19) since 2023.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Shots Fired Reports

Each successive report presents the most accurate data available at the time they are released. Minor discrepancies may exist when comparing current and past data as a result of new information revealed from law enforcement investigations. 

For example, the total fatal shooting victim numbers from a previous year may include a shooting death that was later determined to be a death by suicide. In this hypothetical example, the number of actual fatal shootings from a past year that we are aware of today would be slightly lower than what was represented in that respective report.

Learn more and find previous annual and quarterly reports at kingcounty.gov/gunviolencedata.

--King County Prosecuting Attorney's office on Medium.com