SEATTLE – New numbers show gun violence in King County has dropped to record lows, according to the latest quarterly report from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion says the positive shift is tied to growing collaboration between police, prosecutors and local nonprofit groups. 

But survivors of violent crime say numbers alone don’t capture how safe people actually feel in their communities.

What they’re saying:

Chief Rafael Padilla of the Kent Police Department described how routine gun violence once felt in his city.

“It was not unusual to have multiple shootings in a week. It was not uncommon to have two or three homicides in a month,” Padilla told FOX 13 Seattle in July. He says gun violence has been a persistent concern since the pandemic.

Manion said the newest data shows progress.

“Things do appear to be trending in the right direction in King County,” Manion said.

By the numbers:

According to the report, there were 292 shootings between July through September 2025. 

“So, in quarter three of 2025, there have been 292 incidents of overall shots fired,” Manion said.

That’s down from 426 during the same period last year; 130 fewer shootings and the lowest total since 2021.

A closer look at the numbers shows 63 people were shot, of which 18 were killed and 45 were injured.

According to the report, nearly half of all victims were members of Black or African American communities, and most were men in their 30s.

“We also know that victims of gun violence are disproportionately people of color, so we have to make sure that we offer intervention services that are culturally competent and that we are reaching all parts of our community,” Manion said.

Crime in King County

The other side:

While the data shows improvement, survivors say the numbers don’t always reflect lived experience.

On Monday, Tracy Roberts stood in downtown Seattle handing out orange and purple ribbons for “Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls Day.” 

Roberts is a violent crime survivor who has fought for years to have the day recognized in Seattle.

“When I was assaulted, it was considered rare for a stranger assault. But it doesn’t feel rare,” Roberts said.

Her attack in January 2021 was captured on surveillance cameras, when a stranger kicked Roberts in the head as she gardened in Belltown, leaving her with traumatic brain injuries. Investigators said the same man was caught on a bus camera kicking another woman in the face earlier that day.

Roberts said she was stunned by the sentence he received.

“He was released for time served after 17 months and that’s appalling,” Roberts said. “That happened to me when we caught him and we had all this evidence. I think we need to change the way we sentence people. I don’t think you should offer deals or accept deals from people who commit violent acts.”

Roberts says even with a downward trend, safety is about more than numbers.

After reviewing the latest data, she told FOX 13: “You do have to look at those numbers. You know, if there is a downward trend, that’s fantastic. But what does it truly feel like when you walk out the street? Does it feel as safe? Does it feel better? Do you feel like there’s improvements?”

Manion says the county’s progress is driven largely by what’s happening in Kent, where police and nonprofits — including the Latino Civic Alliance and Project Be Free — have spent the past year partnering with prosecutors to solve shooting cases and support at-risk youth.

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