West Seattle, Washington
04 Friday
6:02 AM: Good morning, Today’s forecast is for sunshine and 70s, but get ready for heat later this week.
ROAD WORK
26th SW – Closed northbound between Roxbury and Barton. Project details are here
Delridge project – Here’s the plan for this week.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules – except for the South Delridge and 26th rerouting. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations.
For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule. Watch @wsferries for updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
504th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? See the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Two thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch – starting with one that just happened:
CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THIEF SPEEDS OFF: We heard the dispatch for this Arbor Heights theft moments before Lisa called our hotline to report what happened a short time ago. Somebody was taking the catalytic converter off a neighbor’s Honda Element – they could hear the tool, and see the sparks – and neighbors went out yelling at the thief, who, Lisa says, hollered back, before getting into a white sedan and speeding away, even as the 911 call was going out. Only description she has is that he was wearing a red hoodie.
ADDED 2:15 PM: The car’s owner has provided a security photo and video. First, here’s the getaway car:
Second, video of the entire incident. Of particular note, after a lookout person runs away, the would-be thief remains alongside the car – until its owner (2:20 in) runs up, wrestles him away, and then chases him off:
The car’s owner says that just off camera, the thief pulled a gun as he got away. He also clarifies that they did NOT get away with the catalytic converter – but they “cut it both sides and now it’s just dangling from the bottom of my car.” He says
(back to original report) BACKYARD BARBECUE THEFT: This report was sent by Jordan Sunday night:
I wanted to report a theft from our backyard of a Traeger BBQ (in the 5000 block of) 26th Ave SW. They accessed our backyard from a back alley and must have known it was there because I left for 30 minutes for a run and it was gone when I got back. Pretty unbelievable, but just wanted to get the word out to avoid anyone else losing something.
Sunday night brings our weekly roundup of local pandemic updates. First, the newest local numbers.
KING COUNTY CUMULATIVE NUMBERS AS OF FRIDAY:
120,554 people have tested positive – 3,717 more than a week ago (4,235 in West Seattle, up 163)
6,774 people have been hospitalized – 88 more than a week ago (205 in West Seattle, up 3)
1,688 people have died – 6 more than a week ago (65* in West Seattle, down 2 [*data adjustment])
VACCINATION RATE:
75.7% of King County residents 12+ have completed their vaccine series (up .6% in the past week)
By West Seattle zip code:
98106 – 78.1%
98116 – 84.2%
98126 – 73.5%
98136 – 85.5%
98146 – 72.2%
(More COVID-related King County stats here)
PANDEMIC NEWS
King County briefing: Last Thursday, King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin gave another pandemic briefing. Watch it here:
The virus variant known as Delta is fueling the surge, he said, and there’s “a clear trend that hospitalizations are rising” – and the average age of those requiring hospitalization has dropped 10 years since January. Public Health also published this explanatory article with more information about Delta. Meantime. in response to a question, Dr. Duchin said no further restrictions/recommendations are being contemplated right now, but the “everybody wear a mask indoors” recommendation continues.
Governor’s announcement tomorrow: On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee will be at Kaiser Permanente‘s Capitol Hill medical center at 1 pm “to announce new efforts to increase COVID vaccinations in Washington state. The governor will be joined by local elected leaders and health officials to discuss more efforts to increase COVID vaccinations.” This will be streamed on TVW.
Lessons learned from outbreaks: Public Health reports here on three outbreaks and what can be learned from them.
WHERE TO GET TESTED IN WEST SEATTLE
The UW Medicine testing service at the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) continues to operate; you might not be able to get same-day testing, though – the booking site shows, for example, that Monday slots are all booked. Meantime, the Curative testing kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW) is also till operating. In addition, both West Seattle Walgreens stores are offering drive-up testing (35th/Morgan and 16th/Roxbury) – more info here.
NOT VACCINATED YET?
Go here to see where you can change that.
(Saturday night photo by Bill Schrier)
The National Weather Service has our area under an Excessive Heat Watch alert for Wednesday afternoon through Saturday (August 11-14). So far the forecast highs aren’t near what we saw during that historic heat wave in late June, but we could get well into the 90s, and humidity will be elevated enough to make it feel hotter. Read the entire alert here; see the updated forecast here.
The photo and report are from Rosalie in Admiral:
This bike was thrown into our garden. Found this morning.
If it’s yours, email us and we’ll connect you.
Just in from Kersti Muul, word that transient orcas are back in the area – southbound off Blake Island. Let us know if you see them!
With the start of school just weeks away, school-related groups are revving up. That includes PTAs and PTSAs, and other support groups. We have long featured school-related fundraisers, and one PTA – for Lafayette Elementary – has already sent its fall plan:
Lafayette PTA is excited to welcome students back to school on September 1st! We have many opportunities for you to support the Lafayette Elementary School students, staff, and families. Our goal this year is to rebuild our community and provide extra support to help students who have fallen behind academically. Questions? Please email lafayette.fundraising@gmail.com.
Shoe Drive Fundraiser: Now until mid-November 2021: The PTA has partnered with Funds2Orgs to raise money for the PTA and repurpose shoes by sending them to developing countries around the world. Please drop off your gently used shoes at West Seattle Runner at 2743 California Ave SW. Our goal is to collect at least 2500 pairs of shoes.
Dine-Outs:
8/31/2021 – 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm – Good Society, 2701 California Ave SW (please mention Lafayette to your server)
9/26/2021 – 10:00 am to 10:00 pm – Mission Cantina, 2325 California Ave SW (please mention Lafayette to your server; dine-in or take-out)
10/17/2021 – 10:30 am to 10:00 pm – MOD Pizza, 4755 Fauntleroy SW, Ste 150 (please mention Lafayette to the cashier or use promo code “GR191082L” when placing order online for pickup in store)Boon Supply Online Fundraiser, 9/1/2021-12/31/2021: Lafayette PTA earns 40% of sales when you use this unique link to shop.
If your school group (or other nonprofit) has a fundraiser this year in which the community can participate, please send us the info so we can share the news all around the peninsula – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thanks for the tip. A reader asked about “a body” found in The Junction this morning. We subsequently asked both SPD and SFD about it. The dispatch was just after 7 am, on SW Alaska just east of California. SFD says the 35-year-old man was “deceased on arrival.” SPD says there was “nothing to indicate suspicious circumstances/foul play” so far. Listening to the recording of the fire dispatch, he was found in front of the Starbucks shop, and CPR was used to try to revive him. It’ll be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the man and his cause of death.
(Delridge Way north of SW Graham)
Southbound Delridge Way SW has reopened between Thistle and Trenton, but other work continues for the paving/utilities/etc. project that’s preparing for the RapidRide H Line conversion next year. Here are the upcoming week’s key ooints spotlighted by the SDOT project team:
*Final channelization and overnight lane striping (began) this weekend at SW Orchard St and SW Andover St. We’ll stripe the remaining sections of the corridor later this month.
*We have started installing the new sidewalk on SW Hudson St and will continue these upgrades through next week,
*We will begin spot sidewalk upgrades between SW Holden St and SW Thistle St on the east side of Delridge Way SW as early as August 12.
*We will also be returning to SW Thistle St to adjust one of the curb ramps in the area later this month.
The full preview of this week’s work is here.
Family and friends are remembering Kelly T. Garvey, and sharing this remembrance with the community:
Kelly Thomas Garvey was born September 4, 1948 in Seattle to Irene and James Garvey. He was the youngest of 5 children. He attended Holy Rosary for elementary and graduated West Seattle High school in 1966.
Kelly went on to attend the University of Washington. He paused his college degree after one year to enlist in the US Army, where he served his country during the Vietnam War.
After his discharge he returned to the UW to finish up his Degree in Business.
Kelly met and fell in love with Joanne Silver and proposed 2 months later. They married March 18th 1972 and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this coming March. They built several homes in Normandy Park and became very involved in the community. They have many wonderful memories with friends and family from the 43 years they lived there.
Early on, Kelly realized his passion for a career in real estate. An entrepreneur to the core, Kelly went to open various Windermere Real Estate offices from Burien to Tacoma, all which he owned and managed. He was highly respected and loved in the real estate industry for his extensive knowledge, mentorship, and his humor.
His passion and drive eventually led him to his love for Commercial properties and his biggest work accomplishment was developing and contracting large pieces of property in Thurston and Pierce County within the last 12 years.
Kelly & Joanne gave birth to two beautiful daughters…Jamie Dianne in October of 1976 and then Anne Elizabeth in December of 1981.
Kelly was the perfect “girl” dad. He was Jamie & Annie’s whole world from the time they were little until the time Kelly left this Earth.
Kelly was the proud Pa to 6 grandkids and he lit up every time he was around them. He had a special bond with every one of his grand children, Chase, Reese, Lane, Charley, Blakely and Presley.
8 years ago Kelly & Joanne moved from Normandy Park to Lakeland Hills and Kelly was blessed to live right down the street from both families, and saw his kids and grandkids several times a week. Although Kelly never got biological sons, he got the next best thing with Pete and Austin. Both sons looked up to Kelly as a father, mentor, but also a friend.
Kelly enjoyed fly fishing, Jeopardy, swimming, practical jokes, card games, but overall spending any minute he could with his beloved family. He spent the last 2 years building a home in Suncadia for his family to enjoy and make future memories. He was loved by all for his selflessness, sense of humor and being the most intentional and giving man. A true legacy.
Kelly was a devoted Christian who is now with his Heavenly Father.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz)
(Herons in a tree, with tugboat Garth Foss passing. July photo by Dan Ciske)
Good morning – here are notes for the hours ahead:
ROAD-WORK REMINDERS: The Highland Park Way/West Marginal intersection work is scheduled until 1 pm again today, and northbound 26th SW is closed between Roxbury and Barton.
CHURCHES: Many continue streaming, in place of – or in addition to – in-person services. Here are the newest links for 20+ West Seattle churches’ services. (We’ll continue updating that list each Sunday for as long as a significant number of streaming services continue.)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm on California between Oregon and Alaska. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (The market is a WSB sponsor.)
LOW-ISH LOW TIDE, WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Second-to-last chance this summer to get exploration advice from a Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalist! Tide is out to -1.7 feet at 11:33 am; naturalists will be at Constellation and Lincoln Parks 10 am-noon.
SUNDAY RUN CLUB: Noon at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) – info in our calendar listing.
LIVE MUSIC @ C & P: Damon Buxton plays guitar music, 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 8 pm to 1 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW; WSB sponsor).
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
Event listings welcome – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
11:55 PM: Police and fire are going to 61st/Admiral for a report of a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound. No word yet on circumstances. The victim is being assessed at a home. Updates to come.
12:08 AM: They’re still trying to figure out exactly where this happened, officers are telling dispatch.
12:13 AM: The victim is being taken to Harborview. Initial assessment over emergency radio described him as “conscious and alert” with a bullet wound near an eye.
12:19 AM: Police say they were told “the shooter was on a motorcycle.”
12:25 AM: They’re blocking off Admiral between 61st and 62nd, as well as 62nd itself, while they investigate. They’ve reported finding two “victim vehicles” on 62nd, possibly indicating bullet damage. (Added: Or, per commenters, other damage.)
12:55 AM: No further updates so far. More info should be forthcoming from SPD once a report is filed later this morning.
1:01 AM: Streets are reopening. Meantime, for context, it’s been a little over a month since four people were shot at the beach, on fatally; a suspect was arrested and charged, and remains in jail, bail set at $2 million.
ADDED 1:44 PM: We just talked to SPD spokesperson Det. Valerie Carsen. She says there’s not much more information about this: After being shot, the victim crashed his car into a parked car near 62nd/Admiral and went to a nearby house to get help. He couldn’t/wouldn’t tell officers where or when it happened – aside from, as mentioned above, that the shooter might have been someone on a motorcycle. Officers did not locate shell casings or other evidence anywhere in the area so they couldn’t independently verify a crime scene. SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells us the victim was “in stable condition” when transported.
(WSB photos/video)
This weekend, Elliott Bay is open to chinook-salmon fishing. So fishing boats were on the water this morning while activists gathered on land to demand action they say can keep the chinook from going extinct, along with another species of mammals that needs them even more than we do – the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Specifically, the Endangered Species Coalition and other groups want four dams on the Lower Snake River in Eastern Washington breached so chinook salmon can reach spawning grounds more easily. This weekend they hosted “Rally for the River” gatherings in six spots around the Northwest, and the rally spot in Seattle was just west of Seacrest. Some supporters came from afar:
Those two are members of the North Olympic Orca Pod, from Port Townsend and Port Angeles. The sign mentioning the Elwha refers to a dam removal project from last decade, considered a success. But that was just part of the puzzle for saving chinook salmon. Four hydropower dams on the Snake River in eastern Washington must be breached, advocates say, before it’s too late (read the backstory here). Time is ticking, with the presumed death of another Southern Resident orca K21. A moment of silence for him was part of the speaking program at the rally, featuring representatives of the Endangered Species Coalition, Duwamish Tribe, Environment Washington, and Orca Conservancy.
It’s not a matter of demolishing the dams, they contended – “All we have to do is move some gravel aside and let them run free.”
After speeches, some rally participants kayaked to Jack Block Park …
… while others walked.
They’re particularly looking for support from Washington’s U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and have a take-action webpage here. The politicians, for their part, have said that any plan for the dams must address other factors too, such as electricity generation and farmers’ needs.
Two months ago we reported on Boo Balkan Foster, the šəqačib teacher at Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School, receiving the Native Action Network‘s Enduring Spirit Award. Now, she has been chosen Regional Teacher of the Year by the Puget Sound Educational Service District. Here’s the announcement from Seattle Public Schools:
We are thrilled to announce that the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) has recognized Boo Balkan Foster of Seattle Public Schools as the Regional Teacher of the Year!
Boo Balkan Foster is a šəqačib teacher in the Native Education Department. She teaches a leadership class, working in partnership with Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School, serving students in grades 6-12. She is a veteran educator with 26 years of experience as a teacher. When asked to describe how she helps students make connections between school, their family and culture, and their local community, she shared, “šəqačib is a Southern Lushootseed word meaning ‘raising hands.’ We raise hands to say hello, good morning, thank you, and to show respect. However, it’s much more. It essentially means, ‘I hold you in the highest esteem.’ Viewing students through this lens is the first step in supporting connection to school, family, culture, and community.”
Recipients for this award were nominated, evaluated, and selected for the awards based on their professional biographies, outstanding work performance, professional leadership and collaboration, and any other unique qualities or circumstances. Award recipients are now qualified as candidates for the Washington State Educator Awards, which will be announced by Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in the fall. Award recipients participate with their cohort in extensive training in communications, advocacy, and policy.
“This is a first for Native Education at SPS, and I couldn’t be prouder,” says Gail Morris, Native American Education Program Manager at SPS. “Boo has committed her professional life to teaching high school students, particularly Native American, Alaskan Native, and First Nation students. Her love for our students is apparent, as many of her colleagues wrote letters of testimony for her, in her nomination for this esteemed recognition. I knew she was going to win. She deserves this, she earned this, and her students, families, and community love her. Ms. Boo has also recently received the Enduring Spirit Award from Native Action Network.”
Congratulations to Ms. Boo for this well-deserved recognition!
(Photo by Melissa Ponder for Native Action Network)
From Matt in North Admiral:
This individual was prowling our alley this afternoon between noon and 1. He walked up and down for about an hour; my neighbor caught him peering in their back door and confronted him. He then went to my house and tried to start my scooter. Eventually another neighbor confronted him again and he claimed to be trying to buy the scooter, then walked off.
A police report has been filed.
While you can’t drive on the block of 17th SW immediately north of Roxbury this afternoon, you can admire cars on display at the first-ever Low Rider Block Party.
Along with the cars, there’s an abundance of art – some being made, some being sold:
Performances too! The mini-festival continues until 6 pm (and has a vaccination booth on the south end of the block until 5). The Low Rider Block Party was organized by nearby Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery, with support from the city.
If you’re going to South Park for the Duwamish River Festival, stop by the new Duwamish River Community Hub just a block south at 14th Avenue South and South Cloverdale. The Port of Seattle has leased the former Napoli Pizza building as a center for various gatherings, inside as well as out:
Outside the Hub today, you’ll find Mercadito vendor booths as well as information booths including the port explaining the new People’s Park along the river nearby:
You can take a guided walking tour to the park at 4:30 pm. We covered the park groundbreaking at the former Terminal 117 a year ago.
Now until 5 pm, Seattle’s only river is being celebrated at the 2021 Duwamish River Festival. This time it’s at the future park space known as South Park Plaza, west of the South Park end of the bridge. Performances all afternoon! Here are Angeles de México:
And art (added: what you see below is the Duwamish River Dragon, by Cleopatra Cutler):
Dozens of educational booths so you can learn about the river and those who rely on it – and what you can do to protect it (such as, gardening with native plants). Food trucks and stands, also featuring local restaurants.
ADDED 4:47 PM: A few more scenes from the festival, which is presented by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition:
That’s Carmen Martinez of DRCC, who leads the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, with Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.
If you have something to say before the final decision on an increase in Washington State Ferries fares, the state Transportation Commission – which sets fares – has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday (August 10th). Here’s the announcement:
A proposed 2.5 percent across-the-board ferry fare increase is the subject of a public hearing next week. The proposed fare increase was the option selected in a public input poll and is based upon budget requirements passed by the 2021 Legislature. If approved, the new ferry fare rate will be applied each October in 2021 and 2022.
The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold a virtual, final public hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10. Due to COVID-19 limitations still in place for Washington state agencies, the meeting will be conducted using Zoom. The commission will take public testimony at the meeting. People interested in attending need to register on the commission’s website. Those wishing to testify are encouraged to sign-up ahead of the hearing, on the Commission’s website. The meeting will be broadcast live on TVW at www.tvw.org.
Fare recommendations are based upon the Transportation Budget passed by the 2021 Legislature. The budget requires $377 million to be generated from fares over the two-year timeframe, which results in a need for an additional $9.2 million in fare revenues. This equates to an estimated 2.5 percent fare increase if applied across-the-board to all fares. For more information on the commission’s ferry fare proposal, visit the commission’s web site at: 2021-2023 Ferry Fare Setting – Washington State Transportation Commission.
The commission is also proposing a policy change for how a vanpool is defined to ensure the policy matches current law. The proposal decreases the required number of people to be considered a vanpool from the current five people to three people, adjusting the fares accordingly.
(Friday’s sunset, photographed by Bruce Gaumond)
Welcome to the weekend!
TRAFFIC ALERTS: Work at the Highland Park Way/West Marginal intersection is scheduled until 1 pm. Northbound 26th SW between Roxbury and Barton remains closed. Southbound Delridge Way has reopened between Thistle and Trenton.
YARD (AND OTHER) SALES: See what’s listed for today in the WSB Community Forums!
BEIGNETS AND TUNES: Jet City Beignet (WSB sponsor) pops up at Easy Street Records in The Junction (California/Alaska) today, 9 am-1 pm.
ALKI BEACH CLEANUP: 10 am-1 pm, join organizer Jessica and other West Seattle neighbors in a monthly cleanup at the beach – info in our preview.
FOOD DRIVE: At Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill), 11 am-3 pm:
Time to clean your pantry and help less fortunate people in our community. Drop off non-perishable food, canned fruit & vegetables, spices, soy sauce, rice, pasta, peanut butter, and pet food is also needed. Attendants will be available to help unload your vehicle in the parking lot.
DUWAMISH RIVER COMMUNITY HUB: If you’re going to South Park for the festival (see below), go early and visit the new Duwamish River Community Hub, which opens today in the former Napoli Pizza building on the southeast corner of 14th Avenue South/South Cloverdale, 11 am-5 pm. Plans include construction-trades outreach and tours of the nearby Duwamish River People’s Park.
RALLY FOR THE RIVER: Different river! 11 am-2 pm near Seacrest Park (1660 Harbor SW), advocates for removing the Snake River dams to help Northwest salmon – and the orcas that depend on them – will rally, with speakers, postermaking, entertainment, kayaking.
DUWAMISH RIVER FESTIVAL: Noon-6 pm at South Park Plaza (8456 Dallas Ave. S. by the west end of the bridge), the festival is back! Entertainment, education, exploration, more. See the schedule of performances here.
LOW RIDER BLOCK PARTY: Noon-6 pm on 17th SW between Roxbury and Delridge, Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery presents this first-ever event – details here.
BOULEVARD PARK BLOCK PARTY: Not far to the southeast, this North Highline community is having a festival today (1832 S. 120th) with live music and more – see the lineup (including some West Seattle faves like the Dusty 45s) on the poster.
VACCINATION POP-UP 1-5 pm at the aforementioned Low Rider Block Party – Pfizer, so 12+ are eligible.
DANCE AT THE BEACH: Salsa and bachata @ Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki), 5-10 pm, $20 – details here.
COMEDY NIGHT: 7 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), $10 advance, $12 at the door.
DOLLY AND THE DJ: New temp home for this popular show until White Center’s Lumber Yard Bar is back! On Saturday nights starting tonight, 9 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW; WSB sponsor). ’80s night is tonight’s theme!
What else? Let us know – thank you!
19-year-old Jackson U. Sullivan is in the King County Jail tonight, starting his nine-month sentence for raping a then-16-year-old girl during a party in November 2019. That’s the sentence recommended by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in the plea bargain that resulted in Sullivan pleading guilty two weeks ago, as reported here. The nine-month sentence was ordered by King County Superior Court Judge Josephine Wiggs-Martin in what we’re told was a crowded courtroom this afternoon, We were unable to go downtown for the hearing, and documents from it are not yet available in online files, but we got confirmation of the sentence tonight from the KCPAO. Sullivan was charged with second-degree rape in April 2020, accused of raping a girl who was incapable of consent, “intoxicated to the point of loss of motor functions … (during) what should have been an enjoyable high-school party.” In the plea bargain, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of third-degree rape, which carries a standard sentence of six months to a year.
Per Seattle Police policy, SPD has gone public with their video from last night’s deadly shootout in White Center. See it here – if you choose to; please note the warning, as you see and hear gunfire in the video, and you see the man who was shot by SWAT officers, before, during, and after the gunfire. We don’t know anything more yet about the man who was killed; he was described only as a 22-year-old man suspected of a Seattle murder that happened “earlier this year.” Officers had gone to the house near 21st/100th to arrest him, and after they announced themselves, police say, he came out of the house holding a gun, and fired at them; they shot back, as seen and heard in the video, and he was declared dead at the scene. Police have also released this photo of the gun with which they say the man was armed, adding that “The gun was reported stolen in King County in June 2021.”
SPD says three officers were involved in the shooting and that they are on paid administrative leave.
ADDED MONDAY: The Seattle Times says the man who was killed was Isaiah Hinds, identified in June as the suspect in a murder at a South Seattle church in March.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged the man arrested earlier this week after a West Seattle burglary/car-theft victim woke up to see her car, taken a day earlier, back outside her house. We reported on the burglary/theft Tuesday, and the arrest Wednesday. The suspect is 35-year-old Samuel M. Robinson, who remains in jail today, bail set at $25,000. It’s his sixth jail booking in a little over two months, first time a judge has set bail.
First, the new charge: Robinson is charged with residential burglary for this week’s West Seattle incident. This is the third felony charge filed against him this month; on July 8th, he was charged with auto theft for stealing a pickup truck from the 7900 block of 1st Avenue South in southeast West Seattle. On July 28th, he was charged with second-degree burglary for a break-in at a Kent business a few days earlier. In the new charge, documents reveal a few more details about the case: Robinson was identified in part because of a black-and-pink BB gun left in the victims’ house; an officer recalled stopping Robinson, who had a similar gun, a few days earlier. Security video helped make the match too.
Robinson, who has a Westwood address, has convictions for assault and robbery more than a decade ago. The $25,000 bail set for him today by King County Superior Court Judge Melinda Young is half the $50,000 that prosecutors requested, but it was the first time a judge set bail this year, according to background information we obtained from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. After his July 4th arrest in West Seattle, they asked for $10,000 bail, but a judge released him on personal recognizance. On July 8th, the KCPAO filed the auto-theft charge. He was arrested again that day by King County Sheriff’s Deputies, again for vehicle theft. After two weeks in jail, he was released again on personal recognizance; that case has yet to be forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office by KCSO for a charging decision.
Three days after he got out of jail that time, he was arrested for the Kent burglary. Prosecutors asked for $5,000 bail, but a judge again released Robinson on personal recognizance, two days after he was booked. The charge in that case was filed the following day. Then two days after his release in that case, Tukwila Police arrested him on July 29th, for investigation of possessing stolen property, Yet again, he was released on personal recognizance, this time after one day in jail – and four days later, the West Seattle burglary happened. (Tukwila Police have not yet referred that case to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for a charging decision.) We don’t have the judges’ names in any but today’s hearing, but will be reading through more case documentation to see if we can find any. Meantime, Robinson will be arraigned later this month on the charge filed today.
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