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1 dead, 1 injured after shooting in Seattle autonomous zone

ELLA TORRES

A 19-year-old man is dead and another person has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after an overnight shooting inside the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone in Seattle, police said.

The shooting occurred early Saturday, around 2:30 a.m. local time, inside the zone, which is also referred to as CHOP, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department.

Police said a "violent crowd" prevented them accessing to the victims. They said they were later informed that both victims had been transported to Harborview Medical Center by CHOP medics.

The 19-year-old later died and the other victim, who was only identified as male, remained in the hospital.

Police said the suspect or suspects fled and are still at large, and homicide detectives are investigating.

The zone was established June 8 after Seattle police largely withdrew from the Capitol Hill district, leaving a void for protesters.

The protesters seized a roughly six-block area, including the east precinct, to create an "autonomous police-free zone."

Sealed off from outsiders by barricades and patrolled by armed residents, police aren't allowed inside.

SEATTLE — A felony assault charge was filed against 31-year-old Nikolas Alexander Fernandez after a shooting during Seattle protests on June 7.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed one count of assault in the first degree, a class A felony, against Fernandez for the shooting in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The 31-year-old Seattle man is accused of driving through a crowd and shooting a protester, identified as 27-year-old Daniel Gregory.