The number of shots fired in King County dropped last summer. Is gun violence on the decline?

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the number of shots fired during the third quarter of the year has dropped for a second year in a row.

Law enforcement agencies in King County recorded 292 shots fired incidents between July 1 and Sept. 30 of this year. During the same period last year, agencies reported 426 shots fired.

The total number of overall shots fired incidents during the third quarter of 2025 is the lowest they have been since the same quarter of 2019. King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion says the numbers are “encouraging.”

One factor behind the decrease, Manion believes, is the partnership between police departments and nonprofits focused on curbing gun violence.

In Kent, the city’s police department has partnered with the Latino Civic Alliance and Project Be Free.

“They work with families to change behavior, to offer interventions, to offer alternatives like job training,” Manion said. “[And] how to resolve conflict within a family situation.”

But the county’s work to curb gun violence isn’t over, Manion said. There’s not only still work to be done in decreasing the overall number of shots fired, the data behind shooting victim demographics also illustrate an “unacceptable” trend.

During the third quarter of 2025, around half of the 63 shooting victims documented by police data identified as Black or African American, and 86% identified as male. Black or African American males have remained the majority of shooting victims in the third quarter of the year for the last five years. According to 2020 census data, 7% of King County residents identify as Black and African American.

“We have to acknowledge that there are many factors at play where violent crime disproportionately impacts communities of color,” Manion said. “I think we have to, together with our community, with police, offer important and effective intervention services to young people.”

Manion said the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will also be paying attention to data on juvenile gun violence victims, as law enforcement agencies submit their reports on the fourth quarter of the year.