32 people in King County died in connection with domestic violence last year, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. That’s the highest number of DV deaths ever since the prosecutor’s office began tracking the data in 1997. The office’s Data and Analytics Unit said prosecutors have received 1,111 felony domestic violence referrals from police so far in 2023, in which 14 people have died.
Community advocates said they believed the root cause of domestic violence starts at an early age. However, they said that awareness and conversations about DV aren’t happening in most homes or schools. Project Be Free is a nonprofit in Renton providing crisis response to victims. The group contracts with the City of Renton, Renton Police Department and Newcastle Police Department providing an alternative non-police response to DV incidents.