Three people were killed and one was injured in a shooting in the Seattle, Washington suburb of Mukilteo early Saturday morning.
Police said 15 to 20 people were gathered in the home that was the scene of the shooting when it began just after midnight. Police have not released the identities of those who were killed, although they have begun notifying their families.
The injured victim was taken to a hospital, and Mayor Jennifer Gregerson said in a media briefing that the person’s condition was “hopeful.”
The male shooter fled the scene but was arrested during a traffic stop about two hours later. Authorities have not released his identity, nor did they say whether a weapon had been recovered, but he appears to be the lone gunman. They are also still working to determine a motive. “We’re gathering all our evidence to determine how it happened, why it occurred,” said Mukilteo Police Officer Myron Travis.
In the media briefing, Gregerson said, “Our community has suffered a great loss tonight,” adding, “Tonight our community has been shaken to the core… We grieve with the families who have lost those in this horrible event.”
According to Mass Shooting Tracker, this is the 52nd mass shooting in the month of July, a month that has seen 53 people killed and 226 injured in such incidents. July has only been topped by June this year for the number of people killed and injured, the month in which the massively deadly shooting at an Orlando nightclub occurred, which killed 49 people and injured scores more. Early data from February showed that the rate of mass shootings has picked up this year as compared to last.