Two people have been shot, one fatally, inside the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ in Seattle. There have been few details regarding the incident since police have been barred from the area after it was occupied by leftist rioters, but according to reports, radio dispatchers of the Seattle Police Department received reports of gunshots inside the occupied zone early Saturday morning.

There are conflicting claims as to how the victims were taken to the hospital. One version said that both victims were taken to the hospital in private vehicles but another one claimed that one of the victims was recovered by police officers. A local blog post claimed that a security guard working in the vicinity said that the shooters arrived in a black SUV. Both victims were taken to the Harborview Medical Center where one of them died.

The Seattle Police Department and the city government have abandoned several blocks of the city which made up the so-called CHAZ in Seattle. A police precinct there was burned down by the protestors who occupied the area as they called for abolishing the police. The protests were part of the nationwide rioting which occurred after George Floyd died in Minneapolis while being arrested by police officers.

The police have been barred from entering the CHAZ and there were reports that armed rioters were roaming around inside the zone. There were also claims that an armed group was going around the zone declaring that they were the “police,” while harassing other people. The Seattle government has tried to downplay the seriousness of the situation there claiming that it’s just like a block party. The government refused to move against the occupiers and they even placed concrete barriers around the occupied area to prevent outsiders from getting in.

There have been reports that crime is up inside the zone and that mugging and rape incidents are occurring to which the police could not respond properly. Now that there has been a case of fatal shooting inside the zone, it is unclear how the protestors will react or if they will take it as a sign to disperse and go home since they have enough damage already.