EVERETT — Four shootings in less than 24 hours left one man dead and four other people injured in Everett.
Police hadn’t made any arrests as of Wednesday.
Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman has “dedicated all available resources towards investigating these incidents,” including using the department’s Major Crimes Unit and a new regional gun violence task force to increase patrols and “bring those responsible to justice,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said in a statement Thursday.
Templeman has also approved overtime for officers to increase police presence in the areas where the shootings occurred.
“My heart goes out to the victims of this recent, senseless gun violence in our city,” Franklin said.
The violence began early Wednesday morning at a Casino Road apartment complex in south Everett.
Just before 4:30 a.m., a man in his 20s was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at the Bluffs at Evergreen at 2 W Casino Road, police reported. The shooter, or shooters, fled. Detectives believe it was targeted.
The man’s death marks the 12th homicide in Everett this year, officer Ora Hamel told The Daily Herald. That’s triple the total for each of the previous two years.
About 10 hours later, two more people were shot at another apartment complex, the Family Tree Apartments at 10110 19th Avenue SE in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Everett. A man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A boy was treated at the scene for a “graze” wound, according to police. Again, the shooters fled after the gunfire. A police department spokesperson described them as several men wearing dark clothes, who were seen in a white sedan.
Another hour and a half later, Everett police were sent to another report of a man shot at the Bluffs at Evergreen apartment complex, police reported. The man in his 30s was taken to the hospital. Yet again, the suspects fled. Investigators deployed a drone and police dog to no avail.
And just after midnight Thursday, a man in his 40s was rushed to the hospital from the 3700 block of Smith Avenue with serious injuries from a gunshot wound, according to Everett police. He was expected to survive.
Another man, in his 30s, was nearby when that shooting occurred near the Everett Gospel Mission. The suspected shooter reportedly came up to him, leading to a physical fight. The suspect then got in a black sedan and left the scene.
Everett police were tight-lipped with details Thursday about all four shootings. No suspects had been publicly identified. It was unclear if any of the shootings, including the two at the Casino Road apartments, were connected.
Detectives continued to investigate Thursday.
Everett City Council member Paula Rhyne represents the area where the Smith Avenue shooting happened. In an email, she called for action to stem gun violence.
“We should all be alarmed and concerned with the growing gun violence and irresponsible gun ownership in our region,” Rhyne said. “As a regional issue, a regional solution is required. Though I already had plans in the works to connect with local advocacy groups to discuss ways that I can support efforts to curb gun violence, in light of the string of recent shootings it is clear that meaningful work on these issues needs to be expedited.”
Tips about any of the shootings can be directed to Everett police at 425-257-8450.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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