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5 people shot outside Washington event aimed at deterring violence

A weekly community outreach event was underway in the parking lot near Seattle when someone fired "dozens and dozens" of rounds at the group.

SEATTLE — Five people were injured in a shooting outside of a Rainier Beach Safeway on Friday night.

The shooting was reported just before 8 p.m. at the grocery store located at 9200 Rainier Avenue South. 

All five were attending a community outreach event when "dozens and dozens of rounds" were fired, according to Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz. The victims ranged in age from their mid-20s to 30s.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of King County confirmed on Saturday that two of their staff members were injured in the shooting. Their group is one of the organizations helping to host the community outreach event. 

The organization sent a statement that said, in part: 

"Over the last three years, our Safe Passage Team has hosted a Community Healing Space Activation every Friday in that location without incident. These Activations provide hot meals and resources to community members and create a safe space for grieving, healing, and connection in response to community violence.

It is particularly devastating that this act of violence is in direct contrast to the purpose and mission of this space. Our community warriors put their lives on the line every day to ensure that the members of our community are safe. This incident has magnified the issue of gun violence in our neighborhood, and it will take ALL of us working together, to combat this public health crisis. We at Boys & Girls Clubs remain committed to working with youth, community members, community partners, law enforcement, and public officials to end gun violence." 

According to Harborview Medical Center Public Information Officer Susan Gregg, four people were taken to the hospital for care. As of Saturday morning, a 25-year-old man and 24-year-old were in satisfactory condition. The man had arrived at the hospital critically injured.

A 34-year-old man was treated and discharged, and a 28-year-old man is expected to be released from the hospital sometime Saturday morning, according to Gregg.

A fifth person was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Diaz said the shooting happened during an event that's part of the Seattle Community Safety Initiative and has been held in this parking lot every Friday night for nearly two years. Its purpose is to provide community members with a safe space as a deterrent to violence. 

"Honestly this is really disturbing when you have victims that are just trying to do an outreach effort and help people out and get people on the right path, and then they get hit with a variety of different rounds being fired at them," said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.

“These young people, out of love for their neighborhood and community, were holding space with free food and music. This senseless shooting should have never happened," said District 2 Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales in a statement.

"They give out supplies, they give out free food, they play music," said Urban Family Executive Director Shantel Patu. "It keeps a festive and peaceful and safe environment and somebody just opened fire on the event."

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell was at the scene and said, "Too many guns are in the wrong places and in the wrong hands." 

Police say they are searching for two suspects, but they do not have a description of them or the vehicle they were in.

Police said they do not yet know what led to the shooting Friday night. The incident is being investigated by SPD's Gun Violence Reduction Unit. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

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