In 2020, Washington state saw dramatic surges of homicides in Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane. This surge coincided with BLM/Antifa riots, law enforcement stand-downs, and the rise of the progressive prosecution movement. The homicide surge in the biggest cities appears to be spreading into the suburbs now.
Between 2001 and 2012, Seattle’s suburb of Renton averaged 1.16 homicides yearly! Then the population doubled nearly overnight. From 2013-2021 Renton had an average of 4.2 homicides per year. However, the city did have a lot more people. Because the city grew so fast, the average age probably decreased. A lower average age typically equates to a higher homicide rate. However, growth has flattened out, but homicides are still getting worse.
In the past five weeks, Renton had four homicides. This is more homicides in five weeks than the entire three-year period from 2002-2004 or 2010-2012.
On January 12th, an unnamed 54-year-old man was killed while standing in front of a convenience store. Police say a fourteen-year-old Black male killed the victim during a drive-by shooting. His name is classified due to age. Police say the same perp is a suspect in a Renton murder that occurred in October 2021.
At least nine non-fatal gunshot injuries and one non-fatal stabbing occur until the next homicide.
On July 9th, Aron Cole, a 32-year-old Black male, was murdered while sitting in his car. Police are looking for two Black male suspects.
On July 23rd, there was a mass shooting at Musicians Hall in Renton. A rap concert featuring Nitty Bo was going on. An unnamed 32-year-old was killed, and six others were wounded.
When police arrived, witnesses refused to cooperate and were combative. A large Black male even wrestled with police officers. Local media never released the identity of the fatality or any description of a suspect. The press quickly dropped the story.
On July 27th, a murder occurred. Police have released no details other than the address.
On August 3rd, there was a double shooting at a house in Renton. One victim was killed and one injured. Once again, local media never identified the person killed or described the suspect. Neighbors say they had been calling the police in vain for months over activity at the house. The landlord was trying to evict the residents. After months of waiting, a judge finally issued an eviction order. However, the police had not bothered to carry out the eviction yet. A spokesman for the police department said it takes up to fifty days for local cops to find the time to carry out an eviction.
On August 13th, four people were shot during a party at Ron Regis Park. This occurred at 12;30 AM. Police say two victims had serious injuries and two had critical injuries. No other details have been released.
Renton, WA Homicides:
1999: 4 (48k, 8.3 per 100k) major spike
2000: 3 (49k, 6.1 per 100k)
2001: 1 (50k, 2.0 per 100k)
2002: 0 (53k, 0 per 100k)
2003: 1 (54k, 1.9 per 100k)
2004: 2 (55k, 3.6 per 100k)
2005: 2 (56k, 3.6 per 100k)
2006: 2 (57k, 3.5 per 100k)
2007: 1 (60k, 1.7 per 100k)
2009: 2 (65k, 3.1 per 100k)
2010: 0 (73k, 0 per 100k)
2011: 1 (80k, 1.1 per 100k)
2012: 2 (91k, 2.1 per 100k)
2013: 3 (95k , 3.2 per 100k)
2014: 5 (97k, 5.1 per 100k) this was the highest rate since 2000
2015: 4 (100k, 4 per 100k)
2016: 4 (102k , 3.9 per 100k)
2017: 3 ( 103k, 2.9 per 100k)
2018: 5 (104k, 4.8 per 100k)
2019: 3 (105k, 2.9 per 100k)
2020: 6 (107k, 5.6 per 100k)
2021: 5 (110k, 4.5 per 100k)
Renton has experienced five homicides in 2022 so far. This is more than the total number experienced for any single year between 2002 and 2019! Four of these homicides have occurred in the last five weeks.
While the local media reports extremely few details about homicides in Renton, it appears that a huge percentage is Black on Black.
According to data filed with the FBI by the Renton Police Department, between 2010 and 2020:
46.9% of homicide victims were Black
48.3% of known homicide suspects were Black.
Renton is only about 12% Black.
Washington had the highest number of homicides in the state’s history in 2020, with the homicide rate going from 2.6 in 2019 to 4.0 in 2020! This was the highest statewide homicide rate since 1998. While Washington had higher homicide rates in the early 90s, the average age was much younger.
