Real Change vendor Daniel Long was killed on April 10 after intervening in a dispute between a man and his girlfriend, according to police documents. Long was 39.
Police and Seattle Fire Department medics responded to an emergency call just before 9 p.m. to the 800 block of South King Street in the Chinatown International District. Medics attempted to treat the injury, but Long died at the scene. He had been shot in the neck.
Police took a suspect — Donyae Pigott, 21 — into custody early in the morning of April 12. According to the report, multiple witnesses identified Pigott as the shooter.
“They all stated that Pigott had been in an argument with his girlfriend and Long tried to assist her,” according to the report.
Pigott was arrested a block away from the shooting. The gun used to shoot Long was not found. Pigott denied involvement in the shooting but said he had heard about the incident from other people experiencing homelessness.
He is currently being held in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle on $2 million bail.
Long was also experiencing homelessness at the time of his murder. He had been a vendor at Real Change for several years, holding positions of responsibility within the organization.
Ashley Archibald is a Staff Reporter covering local government, policy and equity. Have a story idea? She can be can reached at ashleya (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Follow Ashley on Twitter @AshleyA_RC.
Read more of the Apr. 22-28, 2020 issue.