The deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle has reignited questions about youth gun violence and what city leaders can do to prevent the next conflict from turni
The deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle has reignited questions about youth gun violence and what city leaders can do to prevent the next conflict from turning deadly.
The July 26 shootout at Seattle Center killed three people and injured at least four others. Police have arrested a 15-year-old, and investigators said a 19-year-old who died at the scene also took part in the gunfight.
Interim Seattle Police Chief Andre Sayles has identified youth gun violence as a priority and said police plan to work with nonprofit violence interrupters to reach young people at risk.
For Community Passageways, a Seattle nonprofit founded by Dominique Davis, prevention means reaching young people long before the bullets start to fly.
“There was a bubble that got busted at that shooting at the Bite. There was a bubble that people were able to live in that they didn't have to deal with the gun violence. They would see it on the news and shake their heads and say, ‘These kids are crazy,’” Davis said. “This is an opportunity for us to uplift and put a light on the work that's actually happening."
High-profile shootings often prompt calls for more police, arrests and longer prison sentences. Davis said that response fails to address the conditions that got young people headed down a troubled road in the first place.
Community Passageways instead tries to open up opportunities for young people. That can mean working with an entire family to make sure they have stable housing and enough to eat. From there, the emphasis shifts to helping youth become self-sufficient.
“Let's do some interview training and let's build your resume and let's take you to go do this interview and walk you through a process of getting you on your feet,” Davis said. “We need to show people you have a future or you're going to operate every day thinking you don’t have anything to live for, and we have to give them some hope."
Central to that strategy are mentors with lived experience who can establish credibility with young people at greatest risk.
Community Passageways' Deep Dive program pairs these mentors with young people who are at risk of becoming victims or participants in gun violence. Hands-on support is intensive, Davis said, and staff sometimes maintain daily contact with young people to keep them on track and out of danger.
Camps and retreats are also used to give young people a break from the streets and time to reflect on where they are headed in life.
“We’re taking these young people out into the wilderness, out riding horses or canoeing, whatever,” Davis said. “We’re having healing circles, campfire conversations, going deep into what they're going through, letting them express themselves and giving them a space to feel safe."
Beyond that, team members help de-escalate tensions at shooting scenes, visit gunshot victims at hospitals, and try to show up when support may be needed most.
Prevention efforts before violence occurs, intervention during a crisis, followed by stabilization afterward are all part of Community Passageway’s broader approach to ending gun violence.
“People don't understand how many things we actually stop in this work, in a bunch of different areas that people are in,” Davis said. “They don't even see that things were getting ready to jump off that we were able to stop."
While the Bite of Seattle shootings put youth gun violence back in the spotlight, the broader numbers are moving down. In Seattle, shootings and shots fired incidents have dropped so far this year compared to last. King County data also shows the number of juvenile shooting victims fell 61% in 2025 from a peak the year before.
Davis said the work he does to contribute to this downturn takes time and effort, but for those looking for a quick fix, he has one suggestion. More opportunities for internships at local companies or government agencies could give these young people an entirely new outlook on life.
