Police in Seattle are investigating what appears to be a politically motivated attack against a homeowner in the city’s Ballard neighborhood, after shots were fired at a woman’s residence early Sunday morning.
Officers responded to a “shots fired” call around 3 a.m. on Sunday, and found multiple bullet holes in a window in which several political signs had been displayed.
Photos from the scene taken Monday morning show at least four bullet holes in a window that has multiple President Donald Trump signs, a thin blue line “Police Lives Matter” sign, and a sign with a Confederate flag visible. The homeowner also told KOMO News pride flag stickers were also placed on their vehicle during the incident.
Seattle police said the victim’s vehicle also had bullet damage, along with several stickers that were placed on the vehicle that reflected the suspect’s “own political or social ideology.”
“Surprised it happened, but not super surprised that people are upset,” Nadine Frehafer, who lives in the neighborhood, said. “Nobody deserves violence against them, obviously.”
Obviously, but this is Seattle we’re talking about, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that none of the neighbors KOMIO-TV spoke to tried to justify the violence. One neighbor, though, seemed to downplay the fact that the homeowner had been targeted before.
The homeowner told KOMO News she believes she’s being targeted because of her personal and political beliefs, and similar incidents have happened twice before.
“They always damage her window and car,” Ewa Sporna, who also lives in the neighborhood, said. “I’m surprised. I thought once, twice, but a third time, no a little too much.”
Sporna told KOMO News she heard the gunshots in the middle of the night.
“I heard the pops, like, pop, pop, pop, few times,” she said. “I’m scared. I was shaking, and I think I’m going to move.”
I’d say the first time someone damaged the woman’s car because of her political beliefs is “a little too much”, and firing shots inside her home is way too much of a response to seeing political opinions the shooter disagrees with.
As for Sporna’s desire to move, I understand her concern, but I don’t think leaving the neighborhood the right answer. Is she going to move to a place where there’s no political or ideological diversity in the hopes that will keep violence at bay? Is she going to pre-screen her future neighbors to make sure none of them hold opinions others might disagree with?
Honestly, the first thing that she and other neighbors (as well as the targeted homeowner) should do is set up cameras to help catch this nimrod in the act next time. The next thing they should do is head down to the nearest gun store and start the needlessly lengthy process of legally obtaining a firearm for self-defense, along with the training to safely and effectively use it.
The shooter could already have hurt someone by firing into an occupied home, and there’s no telling what they might do if and when they show up again. The homeowner needs to be prepared to defend her life if necessary, and her neighbors should be thinking about their own safety as well, regardless of their own political views. If someone’s deranged enough to shoot into a home over a “Police Lives Matter” or Confederate flag, they’re loony enough to shoot at the neighbors for merely tolerating the homeowner’s existence.
Getting a gun for self-defense is a reasonable step to take in these circumstances, but the state’s unreasonable and unconstitutional restrictions on the Second Amendment (which include a ten-day waiting period, bans on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and universal background checks) make it impossible for the homeowner to quickly get a gun to protect herself from her unknown assailant.
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