A man was shot dead and another seriously injured on Saturday in a police-free autonomous zone created by protesters in the US city of Seattle, where officers were prevented from accessing the victims, officials said.
The area, set up as part of the nationwide protest movement following the death of unarmed African American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, has been a frequent target of Donald Trump.
The US president has called it a "disaster" and said people there are anarchists from the "radical left."
For nearly two weeks, protesters and activists have occupied the western city's Capitol Hill neighbourhood, establishing an area described as a "no cop" zone – an urban experiment mostly carried out with a festival-like atmosphere.
"Officers attempted to locate a shooting victim but were met by a violent crowd that prevented officers safe access to the victims," the Seattle Police Department said in a statement.
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Protesters rally in Tempe, Arizona. AP Photo -
A protester confronts a Tempe police officer during a rally in Arizona. AP Photo -
Protesters rally outside city hall in Tempe, Arizona. AP Photo -
Ruth Schor holds a sign during a protest outside where President Donald Trump was holding a meeting during a fund raising trip in Dallas. AP Photo -
Skateboarders take part in a Black Lives Matter protest skating from Twin Peaks down to Market Street while blocking traffic in The Castro, San Francisco, California. EPA -
A protester holds up two signs one for Breonna Taylor (L) and the other for George Floyd while demonstrating in New York City. EPA -
A man speaks into a megaphone during a,protest outside the Seattle Police Department East Precinct building. AP Photo -
People walk past a mural in Union Square highlighting police brutality nationwide in New York. EPA -
Protestors hold up signs while demonstrating in the street past The Guggenheim Museum in New York. EPA -
A woman walks past a vandalised statue of Juan Ponce de León at Bayfront Park in Miami. AP Photo
Police, who arrived at the scene around 2:30 am, were later told that the pair had been transported to the hospital by the zone's "medics," where one of the victims, a 19-year-old, was declared dead.
The other victim, also a male "remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries," the police department said.
Police said the shooter or shooters remained at large and that they had no description of a potential suspect. The Seattle Times reported that the shooting was not believed to be connected to the protest.
Officers' body cam footage showed the police being confronted by the protesters who kept them from entering the area.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan defended the zone on Thursday after President Trump threatened to intervene, while Governor Jay Inslee told the president that a "man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business."
At a rally late on Saturday in Oklahoma, Mr Trump referenced the episode again telling supporters: "I have an offer out. I said anytime you want we'll come in, we'll straighten it out in one hour or less."
"Now I may be wrong but it's probably better for us to just watch that disaster," Trump said.
Officials in Seattle have denied reports that left-wing activists are behind the setting up of the autonomous zone.
