We've just hit an unfortunate milestone, of sorts: Seattle has had its first gang-related shooting in recent years in which an innocent bystander was apparently targeted.
According to sources within the Seattle Police Department, the 48-year-old homeless man who was shot in the face at a bus stop outside of Benaroya Hall last month—who was, according to department sources, apparently targeted by gang members—was not known to the shooters or affiliated with a gang.
In the last few months, SPD's gang unit has been busy dealing with a number of gang-related shootings. However, all of the previous victims appear to have apparently been targeted because of some sort of affiliation with a gang.
It's unclear exactly why the 48-year-old man was targeted—the department won't comment as to whether there were additional targets or whether the shooting was some sort of gang initiation—but the department's gang unit was called in to assist in the investigation.
Following the shooting, the man was taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. He is currently in "satisfactory condition," a hospital spokeswoman says.
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