Police tell the Seattle Times that they have two suspects they are seeking in the shooting that killed two people and injured three others at a homeless camp under I-5 near Boeing Field. A witness tells the Times that the shootings were about drugs and money. Police haven't released the names of the suspects or confirmed the motivations, but said the shootings targeted specific people, according to KIRO7.com. The crimes captured national attention, with the Washington Post publishing an account that focused on the coincidental timing, with the shooting occurring almost simultaneously with a speech (Seattle Channel has a video available) by Mayor Ed Murray on city's homeless emergency declaration.
Update 12:25 On KUOW's The Record this afternoon, Q13 political analyst C.R. Douglas called the shooting "a wake-up call, especially for the mayor," but also said Murray's speech showed that he recognizes the need to shake up the extensive, fragmented system of delivering services to the homeless, much of it through non-profits. Douglas referred to the network as the "homeless services industrial bureauacracy" and said Murray's leftist reputation might make it easier for the mayor to aggressively streamline the delivery of services.
