SEATTLE — Federal and King County authorities want to combat gun violence in Seattle by prosecuting more people in federal court for weapons crimes.
Monday’s announcement comes after recent high-profile shootings that have shaken Seattle, including an incident late last month in which a man opened fire in an artsy coffee shot and killed four people.
Seattle U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan and King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg say in many cases defendants would face years longer in federal prison. Under a program called Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s office has reviewed state cases for federal prosecution. But federal authorities had only been taking the worst cases.
Going forward, Durkan says her office will prosecute every gun case in which it has jurisdiction and in which defendants would face more federal prison time.
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