One person was shot at an encampment and suspects fled in a vehicle, Seattle police said Tuesday.The shooting happened in the 9200 block of 42nd Avenue South.P
A man was shot at a notorious south Seattle encampment Wednesday evening, where neighbors have been asking the city to clean up and intervene for months.
Police provided medical aid until Seattle Fire Department crews arrived, according to police.
A woman named Kay, who declined to give her last name, said she met the shooting victim after he started staying in his truck at the encampment for about a month.
Kay said the confrontation began after a man in an SUV became angry that the victim’s truck was blocking the unpaved road through the encampment.
“They exchanged some words, or whatever, and instead of punches being thrown, shots got shot,” she said.
Police said the suspect was in a vehicle and fled after the shooting. Detectives with the department’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit are investigating. No arrests have been made.
The encampment stretches across several acres and multiple public and private properties near 42nd Avenue South and Beacon Avenue South. KOMO News first reported on the site in 2025 after a man was killed in a shootout there.
Business owners and property owners near the encampment said they have repeatedly asked city officials to intervene, citing break-ins, property damage and safety concerns.
“We told them that at some point it’s going to get worse and worse and somebody is going to die,” said Peter Eastey of Jack’s Pay-Less Auto Parts. “Well, somebody got shot and a year ago somebody died.”
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Property owner Jay Wampold said owners had posted no-trespassing signs and filed paperwork seeking police enforcement but the city has not acted.
“And they wouldn't allow us to address it ourselves,” Wampold said. “They said we had to work with the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle Police Department stopped responding."
Business owners and those who own the properties said they have put an enormous amount of effort into raising the alarm and asking for help, only to see the situation escalate into a shooting.
“My message to the mayor is you've got to do something,” Wampold said. “This is out of control and it's neglect."
After the initial publication and broadcast of this story on KOMO News, a spokesperson for the Human Services Department provided a written statement that did offer some information about the city’s next steps.
“The encampment at this location — including the vast majority of structures, vehicles, and debris present — is largely located on private property, outside of the authority of the Unified Care Team (UCT) to address directly.
UCT is coordinating with both the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), who is tasked with addressing encampments on private property, and with the Seattle Police Department to address concerns near 42nd Ave S and Beacon Ave S and clear the site. SDCI is currently working with the City Attorney’s Office and the private property owners to determine next steps in requiring the removal of illegal campers and debris from the private properties.
The Unified Care Team’s next steps for addressing any encampment elements on the adjacent City property will be informed by coordination with SDCI and the City Attorney’s Office.”
