Children peered out from behind their mothers.

In front of them was caution tape, police cars with flashing lights and a body that lay under a white tarp – all on a sunny Thursday afternoon on a block dubbed the “murder block” and the “worst area of Federal Way.”

At the center is a 24-year-old man who was shot multiple times. His killers are at large while the community that knew him stood at the scene, watching and hurting.

It’s the sixth murder to hit Federal Way this year. Of those, three non-related murders occurred within 48 hours in May.

“I’ve seen, like, six killings over there when I lived here,” said Federal Way resident Brian, who asked that his last name not be used. “This block’s always been terrible. Terrible. It’s just crime and gangs and everything over here.”

Federal Way Police Department spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said detectives don’t believe this murder was random, but the department had no information beyond that at the time.

The victim, whose identity has yet to be released, was killed in front of a duplex driveway on 25th Place South, a back road behind the Villa Capri Apartments, which sits on the corner of South 288th Street and Military Road South.

Brian said he lived in the area from 2004 to 2009, and while the apartments have improved since their remodel, South 288th Street continues to attract crime and violence.

“It’s almost like they don’t care about this area,” he said. “You know what I mean? They know what’s going on over here but they don’ t do nothing. I think if there’s more of a police presence, it’d be cool. You know what I’m saying? I mean, they got kids, these kids can’t even come out here and play because they’re scared, you know? This is what happens when kids come out to play, and one of these kids is gonna get killed next.”

Schrock said Saturday that Federal Way police have had “dedicated emphasis operations in the neighborhood near the immediate area” of the shooting “to mitigate violence since early 2016. This work includes increased patrol presence and working with multi-family housing units to assist them to address issues related to units that have repeat criminal activity.”

She added, “Proactive efforts are ongoing to address the shootings in the north end, with confidence we will have a positive impact moving forward.”

Shirley Williams, a first responder who used to provide daycare for the victim, said she was in her van after returning home to her apartment when she heard “pops” that she “immediately knew was gunfire.” She was with her daughter and grandchildren.

“I’m like, shut the doors, get down, and just panicking because shutting the doors wasn’t gonna help us,” Williams said. “We knew it was close but we didn’t know where it was coming from. We just knew it was super close to us.”

The gunfire stopped and the family got up to see the aftermath.

“We raise up and my daughter goes, ‘He went down!'” she said.

Williams said she heard two more gunshots before she witnessed two suspects flee the scene and get into a light-colored Chevy Malibu on South 286th Place.

Williams applied pressure to the victim’s arm wound, while others held rags to his chest, side and back.

She said that it felt like 20 minutes had passed before help came.

South King Fire and Rescue arrived four minutes after the 911 call, which was made at 2:14 p.m. When they arrived, a first responder was providing CPR. Capt. Jeff Bellinghausen said the fire department had to wait for police to clear the scene, which entailed checking for suspects and making sure it was safe, before South King Fire and Rescue personnel administered aid at 2:24 p.m.

But Bellinghausen said he recognizes that time can stand still for people who are there with a loved one who is suffering.

Schrock said police officers were dispatched at 2:15 p.m. and arrived on-scene at 2:22 p.m. A total of 16 cars arrived by 2:25 p.m. and established a perimeter. In addition to Federal Way police, the King County Sheriff’s Office, Des Moines police and Kent police also responded with K-9 tracking, as well.

Williams said the victim was a “quiet kid” who was “brought up right” by his single working mother, with whom she attended church years ago at Greater Revival Church of God in Christ, a Seattle church that has since closed.

“A nice young man,” she said. “He hung out with his girlfriend, never heard anything about him, anything bad or anything, his name mentioned in any mess or anything.

“It’s not good. I’m just praying because only God can deal with this. It’s too big for me, too big for me. Let alone someone that you know, that you watched grow up, babysat, care for them. I could truly say she brought these kids up in church,” Williams added, referring to the victim’s mother.

Like Brian, Williams now worries about the area she lives in and the impact it’s having on children, specifically her grandchildren.

When a shooting happened in the area on the Fourth of July, Williams told her grandchildren that they couldn’t go to the playground.

“But I can’t keep my babies in like that. That’s not fair,” she said. “We have these conversations every time they’re over… every time they want to go outside these doors.”

The scary thing, Williams said, is that the murder suspects shot the victim in broad daylight. She called them “fearless” and wondered, if things were this bad in daylight, how bad is it at night?