9:29 PM: Mentioning it since we’ve received more than a few texts – people in Fairmount Springs (between Fairmount Park and Morgan Junction) heard something a few minutes ago that sounded like gunshots or fireworks. Definitely NO medical calls for any sort of shooting – have not heard scanner activity related to this yet, but continuing to listen.
10 PM: Commenters include people who say they saw it – fireworks.
I heard it. Really couldn’t tell what it was. Made sure my doors were locked though.
I heard them fairly close to 44th ave sw and Raymond. Seemed to be right near my home and was no fireworks. I was going to go look outside until I realized it sounded more like gunshots and I wasn’t going to take any chances. Would love to hear more updates
We live on 47th and Graham and can confirm it was fireworks. It appeared to be across the street on 46th.
Almost called it in myself. Sure sounded like big-bore (slow) handgun fire or a shotgun. Easily 8 to 10 shots. Definitely not firecrackers, but maybe something else like it (bigger) lit one at a time. Wouldn’t have thought twice at the 4th, but tonight had me thinking about dropping to the floor…
Im pretty sure it was fireworks. Was at the studio at the time cleaning, heard the noises and ran to the front of the studio to turn off the lights so they wouldnt shoot into here. Out of the corner of my eye I saw fireworks flashes in the sky.
Thanks, all. “Gunshots or fireworks?” reports happen all too often and we don’t get to publish them all, but when a mini-barrage of texts come in, and in a somewhat nailbiting time such as this, with everything that’s happened lately, it seems better to at least open a thread in hopes somebody who saw something can reassure those who didn’t – as is the case here. There definitely hasn’t been any related scanner traffic (though there IS a shots-fired call right now in North Seattle involving a hit-run crash on Aurora – we’re not the only part of town where police are busy) … TR
Definitely fireworks. I heard it at around 9:10-9:15. I could here the sparkly report at the end of each round (that fizzing sound). Also, the rounds were evenly spaced about a second apart.
I thought it was gun shots. I’m glad it was fireworks and no one was actually hurt.
It was fireworks. It looked to be a few streets from my house and I saw them go off. They didn’t last for very long.
Glad it was just fireworks. I heard each of the individual bangs at my place near 40th and Juneau and at first thought they were gunshots. I did think it was odd, though, how spaced apart the bangs were, so fireworks makes more sense. Not sure how much fun fireworks would be in the rain, but hey, to each his own. At least there’s lower fire danger when it’s wet.
Let this be a lesson to everyone. Sound is very subjective, and no one can reliably tell if it’s gunshots or fireworks.
Idiots at 44th and Raymond doing fireworks. I saw them from my front porch. I thought it was gunfire at first.
I’m in the alley behind Morgan Starbucks and regularly see kids shooting off fireworks.
it was disturbing to hear this last night – the irregularly spaced blasts sounded like a shotgun being fired every few seconds.
My initial thought was that it was gun shots because of the irregular spacing. Glad to hear that it was fireworks.
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