Looking at just the numbers, the recent trend downward in youth crime seems promising. AdvertisingFor some community members in Seattle, gun violence is all too familiar. Youth crime is downDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, reported juvenile crime decreased, despite increases in adult crime. Youth gun crime charges When COVID-era restrictions eased starting in 2022, juvenile referrals for firearms-related offenses increased and peaked in 2024. Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle said preventing the Bite of Seattle shooting, he believed, wouldn’t have been possible given the state of gun violence in the country.