“On June 28, one of the hottest days on record in Seattle, a suspect opened fire at Alki Beach killing one person and injuring at least three more, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The next day, five mayoral candidates joined a forum to discuss their positions on gun violence in Seattle, a public health crisis that has taken at least eight lives in the city just this year and has resulted in nearly 400 calls to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

The forum — moderated by South Seattle Emerald founder Marcus Harrison Green and hosted by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and Grandmothers Against Gun Violence — didn’t reveal a lot of daylight between the candidates who predictably took stances against people getting shot in their city. However, it did provide the opportunity for community members to grill their potential mayors about their stances on guns and gun deaths resulting from police shootings as well as the search for the new police chief, political affiliations, and esoteric topics such as state preemption of local laws.”

Read the full story by Ashley Archibald in the South Seattle Emerald.