Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson rushed from news conference after reports of shots fired

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 03:31, 29 April 2026 | Updated: 03:57, 29 April 2026 Gunfire erupted near a Seattle community center moments after a mayoral news conference, triggering a swift police response forcing officials to whisk the city's mayor to a secure location, as law enforcement locked down the area. Officers are now investigating the shooting near Yesler Community Center, where multiple shots were fired shortly after Mayor Katie Wilson had appeared. It was not clear if the gunfire had any connection to the mayor or the press conference  Authorities said a 911 call came in around 5:10pm reporting gunfire in the area, prompting an immediate response from the Seattle Police Department. According to The Seattle Times, Wilson was quickly escorted away from the scene as the situation unfolded. Police said the shots were fired from a sedan carrying three to four people.  The building was struck by gunfire, damaging part of the structure and hitting a glass door. No injuries have been reported. It remains unclear where Wilson was at the exact moment the shots were fired.  The Daily Mail has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment. Gunfire erupted near a Seattle community center moments after a mayoral news conference at which the city's mayor Katie Wilson had been speaking (file photo) Officers are now investigating the shooting near Yesler Community Center, pictured, where multiple shots were fired shortly after Mayor Katie Wilson had appeared Wilson has a background in transit policy, having previously served as the Transit Riders Union General Secretary before running for mayor.  Seattle elected Wilson as its first democratic socialist mayor in November, echoing the recent victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral contest. She ran on a campaign characterized by promises to increase affordability in the city.  Another core part of her platform is addressing Seattle's homelessness crisis, which is one of the worst in the country. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.