Seattle police probe deadly shooting in activist-run CHAZ ‘autonomous zone’

20 Jun, 2020 15:02 / Updated 4 years ago

US police are investigating a shooting that left one dead and another with life-threatening injuries in the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) run by activists in downtown Seattle.

Shots were fired at the main entrance to the enclave Saturday morning. The Seattle Police Department has confirmed that it is investigating the shooting in the zone, and has said one 19-year-old man was declared deceased while another male of unknown age is being "treated for life-threatening injuries." 

Surveillance cameras from the enclave recorded what appear to be two gunshots.

CHAZ, also known as Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), was established in Seattle on June 8 by a group of anarchists, socialists and Black Lives Matter activists. The self-declared autonomous zone spans six blocks, has no police presence, and is largely barricaded off.

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Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan earlier expressed support for CHAZ, saying the protesters were “gathering lawfully and exercising their First Amendment right of free speech.”

Suspects in the shooting are still at large, according to police. 

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