West Seattle, Washington
25 Wednesday
(WSB photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:21 PM MONDAY: Multiple texters have reported hearing gunfire in the Delridge/Kenyon area, and though no injuries are reported, scanner traffic indicates police have found some evidence – “property damage.” We’re heading that way to try to find out more.
9:39 PM: Police are on SW Kenyon west of 24th.
9:50 PM: Officers told us at the scene that they have found three casings so far (photo added). No elaboration on the “property damage”; no injuries reported.
ADDED TUESDAY, 1:44 PM: In addition to the information and photos provided in comments below, we’ve learned that two people were injured – they showed up at a hospital later, according to the police report, which we requested and obtained. The officer wrote that he and another were dispatched:
Multiple 911 calls were received from the said location. On our way
to the scene, dispatch updated the call and said that a white 2-door sedan was seen leaving the scene.Prior to Officers arrival, everyone had fled the scene.
At the scene, (officers) found two shell casings on the road, a bullet fragment in the planting strip, a cellphone, keys and a chapstick on the side walk. The items were located just to the north of (7900 block) Delridge WY SW.
Bullet holes were located on the back portion of two apartment units … The bullets did not enter the living space of either units. …
Seattle PD Gang Unit Detectives responded to the scene. Gang Unit Detectives processed the scene and collected evidence.
Officers were informed by a witness on scene that the victims were possibly driven away from the scene by a white Dodge Challenqer. … No witnesses were located that actually witnessed the shooting.
While (officers were) still on scene, Dispatch updated over the air that two shootinq victims showed up at Highline Medical Center. Dispatch also updated that the white Dodge Challenger was seen parked outside the Hospital. Gang Detectives responded to the hospital and processed that scene.
Victim 1 … was shot in the left ankle. Victim 2 … was shot in the left calf. The white Dodge Challenger … was impounded to the processing room.
Most of Seattle’s stairways are actually part of city streets, in spots where the right-of-way can’t quite accommodate anything else. There are more than 500 of them. A new one planned for SW Myrtle between Sylvan and 25th – as announced in August – has stirred up some neighborhood concern, so SDOT and SPD invited neighbors to the Southwest Precinct last night to talk about it.
At the front of the room, SDOT’s Greg Funk and Dan Anderson.
Funk said he works on about 10 to 12 stairway projects per year and this one’s a little different in that
it’s a stairway that needs to be installed from scratch. Most of his projects – all but an average of about 1 each year – are replacements, or major maintenance, for existing stairways.
Most of those in attendance said they use the existing path that’s there now because Sylvan is too dangerous to walk along – too much traffic and poorly defined pedestrian boundaries.
But there’s neighborhood concern about a serious uptick in trash along that existing path over the past year. Two residents who live by the east end of the future stairway say they’ve seen and heard lots of suspicion-sparking people, along with arguments, and they’re worried the stairway will be a magnet for more.
Overall, though, most attendees were in favor of the new stairway, with some noting that improved access to and from Myrtle will be especially helpful when Route 120 becomes the RapidRide H Line and has a station at Delridge/Myrtle.
Various questions related to lighting and, as already mentioned, trash. Funk said lighting is not in the plan; trash trouble can be reported via Find It, Fix It.
The precinct’s crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner said she’d visit the area to talk about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. The area’s Community Police Team Officer Ken Mazzuca said calling 911 and using Find It Fix It are both vital so any problems in the area can be not only addressed but also documented (as SPD is very data-driven).
What’s next? Since the project went on hold for a bit to address concerns, the one-to-two-month installation is not expected to happen before the first quarter of next year.
Got a moment? Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association would appreciate your response in a one-question survey. From DNDA executive director David Bestock:
Help highlight Delridge businesses! There are ~83 storefront small businesses along Delridge Way SW that are operated by a diverse group of owners who provide the neighborhood access to vital goods and services. Despite their numbers and longstanding presence in the area, thousands unknowingly pass by Delridge business destinations unaware of the wonderful goods and services they offer.
Today — with your vote — you can change that! By completing a simple survey, you can select which of two discretionary signs will represent Delridge’s businesses centers and help bring awareness to businesses located within each business “node” – at Andover, Brandon, and Sylvan. Things are moving quickly, and your response is requested this weekend!
A link to the survey is here.
DNDA’s goal to install community-reflective street infrastructure follows directly from the recently published North Delridge Action Plan, and this work is supported by the Seattle Office of Economic Development Only in Seattle 2018 grant. The signs are being designed by Gina Coffman, an independent consultant with over 10 years of experience as a Transportation Planner with the City of Seattle and Toole Design Group. Your vote will help decide which 18” by 24” discretionary sign is used at all 3 business nodes.
The work to install discretionary signs is not just about adding destination markers at local streets; it’s about cementing a tangible “Delridge” identity and shaping physical infrastructure that actively represents and supports our community. The survey only takes a minute to complete, and your participation will go a long way in guiding these needed improvements. Thank you for your time!
Thanks for the tips. Southbound Delridge is blocked at Thistle because of a crash. A pickup truck hit a parked vehicle. Northbound traffic is getting by. Police are talking with the driver and awaiting a tow truck so it should clear up before too long. No report of injuries – SFD was not dispatched.
5:48 PM: Thanks to Matt for tweeting the photo, and to texters who also tipped us – that car/bus (a 125) crash is on Delridge at Dakota. No SFD dispatch so apparently no serious injuries. We have a crew en route to check the scene.
6 PM: Our crew says the bus is gone; the damaged car is off to the side, and traffic is flowing normally.
TUESDAY NIGHT: During the summertime Delridge Day festival, Southwest Precinct police are at the grill cooking for community members. Today, somebody came to the precinct to grill up lunch for the officers – and he didn’t have to go far. Brendan Moran is in the loss-prevention division at The Home Depot and explained that the company periodically shows up at police stations near their stores to provide lunch in appreciation of their help. Brendan noted that you can’t get much nearer to a Home Depot store than this precinct happens to be! He was there for a few hours starting at 11 am to catch officers coming and going at first-to-second-watch shift change.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Lt. Steve Strand sent the following photo along with “huge thanks” to the Home Depot crew:
8:24 PM: In case you’re wondering about the Guardian One law-enforcement helicopter over eastern West Seattle – they’re helping police with a call about a person who is allegedly violating a court order near 24th/Thistle, according to the dispatch.
8:28 PM: Police say the situation is under control; G-1 is leaving.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
It’s official grand-opening night for Can Bar in South Delridge. We caught up with its owners this afternoon, four months after reporting on what they had planned.
David Gradwohl and James Imonti (along with Joshua Baymiller, not shown) opened the bar/restaurant in what most recently was a bakery at 9427 17th SW.
Take a look at the menu here. The bar is half of the top deck of a 26-foot, half-century-plus-old Owens. Its old steering wheel is part of the decor, too.
Can Bar has hallway photos of what it took to get the old boat in place for the build-out.
Can Bar is adults only, open 3 to midnight Sundays-Thursdays, 3 pm to 2 am Fridays and Saturdays. They plan to add weekend brunch in a few weeks.
(WSB photos)
With Halloween on a Wednesday this year, there’s a full Hallo-week leading up to it, and the fun started ramping up tonight – first big event out of the gate was the Delridge Community Center‘s Glow-in-the-Dark Party.
Most of this event is, well, in the dark – enhancing the truly spooky spirit:
West Seattle’s three other city-run community centers have special events Friday night – see the listings and dozens of other Hallo-week events in our guide!
3:55 AM: Busy early morning for Seattle Fire – now they are at the scene of a small fire on the second floor of an apartment building in the 9200 block of 17th SW. (map) Via radio, they’re reporting they found what appears to be a deliberately set fire in a small trash can. It’s out; they’re calling for the SFD investigator.
3:59 AM: No injuries reported; the response is being downsized.
(Photo courtesy WWRHAH)
With a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant to help, local volunteers are ready to continue moving the Delridge Triangle into the future. Now, they’re ready for a partner. Here’s the announcement:
The Friends of the Delridge Triangle has now officially partnered with the Highland Park Improvement Club as our Fiscal Sponsor. We’ve now started the process of seeking a consultant or firm with expertise in planning, urban design, and/or landscape architecture to lead a series of public meetings to develop and deliver design concepts and cost estimates for the space located at 9200 Delridge Way.
If there are any local firms or consultants that are interested in submitting a response for consideration, the RFQ, support documentation and submissions process can be found at: delridgetriangle.org/rfq/
Submissions are due November 2nd. We hope to hear from interested professionals in the West Seattle community!
Saturday night, in the span of less than two hours and 4 blocks, police investigated two incidents that sent people to the hospital. What exactly had transpired wasn’t clear in the early going, so we requested and obtained both SPD report narratives this morning:
8800 BLOCK OF DELRIDGE: Here’s our Saturday coverage. The police report says the initial call to 911 was from someone saying she’d been called by her sister, who said her boyfriend had been stabbed and the suspects were “still there.” Police went to the apartment and found no one there – but they did find blood and broken glass. Outside the building, they found the girlfriend’s mother.
While they were talking to her, they found out that medics had been called to treat an injured man a short distance south, at Delridge/Henderson. He turned out to be the man who the girlfriend had said stabbed the victim, according to her mother. The man at Delridge/Henderson claimed his wounds were from trying to defend himself. In the meantime, the K9 team investigating near the original scene finally found the victim, who flagged them down. He was described as intoxicated and uncooperative, and made various claims about how he became injured. Then police found the girlfriend, who told police she used to date the alleged attacker, who is a longtime friend of her current boyfriend, and that the two men started arguing about the relationship. It turned violent, she said, with the former boyfriend breaking a bottle over the head of the current boyfriend, then stabbing him with a piece of broken glass, and trying to strangle her. The 35-year-old ex-boyfriend was eventually arrested and is in the King County Jail for investigation of assault.
9200 BLOCK OF 17TH SW: Here’s our Saturday coverage. According to the police report, a man knocked on the apartment door of a woman he knows in this building and said he had been shot. Police found him lying on her couch with a bullet wound to the left hamstring. The report said he was uncooperative, refusing to answer questions about the circumstances or location of the shooting. The acquaintance said she hadn’t seen anything but did hear a gunshot that seemed to have happened in the building’s parking lot; another person later told police he had been outside at the time and saw a group of five or six people who scattered after what sounded like a shot; a “light-colored mid-sized SUV” left the area shortly afterward. Police did not find any shooting evidence in the area. The report notes the Gang Unit is investigating.
(WSB photos/video)
It didn’t have to be nighttime for the lanterns, and smiles, to shine brightly during the Children’s Moonlight Festival today at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle. We arrived just in time for the lantern parade:
That was the culmination of today’s three-hour event at the center, the traditional autumn celebration known as Tết Nhi Đồng, featuring activities, games, and treats including moon cake.
Group photos are a tradition at center events.
The center’s longtime director is Lee Bui:
If you’ve never visited, the center is often open to visitors on Saturday afternoons (2236 SW Orchard).
Too often, music and theater are seen as “extra” for kids – but the benefits prove they should be considered essential. That’s why Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) proprietor Erin Rubin launched a nonprofit offshoot, Mode Music and Performing Arts, to provide it to more youth. A party last night at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center not only raised money for MMPA, it also showcased some of Mode’s students, like Ellie and Sophia:
The party’s emcee was Troy Nelson, who you probably know best from KEXP. Erin joined him onstage to express gratitude for the support they’re receiving in MMPA’s mission:
If you couldn’t be there but want to support MMPA’s quest to bring performing-arts education to more schools, you can donate online any time.
ADDED 3:42 PM: Update from Erin: “We had such a great night! We raised over $2500 for music and performing arts education in the schools and will continue to do so thanks to the support of our community.”
10:39 PM: Another “scenes of violence” response in South Delridge: This time, per dispatch, someone showed up in the 9200 block of 17th SW [map] and said they had been shot in the leg. Updates to come.
10:43 PM: Police arriving at the scene – reported to be in an apartment-building parking lot – are getting reports that a vehicle might have been associated with the shooting, possibly a light-colored SUV.
10:57 PM: The 30-year-old victim is reported to have a gunshot wound to his left leg and is being taken to Harborview by SFD medic unit. No further description of circumstances or suspect(s).
(WSB photos)
8:59 PM: SPD and SFD have a “scenes of violence” callout in the 8800 block of Delridge. Updates to come.
9:05 PM: This was initially described as a possible stabbing and police have since reported finding ‘the mother of the victim’ but no word on the victim’s status. The SFD response has closed.
9:16 PM: Per scanner, another call a couple blocks on Delridge is being linked to this one.
9:25 PM: We have finally made it to the scene. Some police at Delridge/Trenton, more – plus an ambulance – at the business corner of Delridge/Henderson. One person found there will be taken to the hospital, police tell us, but they’re not certain yet if it’s the person injured a couple blocks north (where radio exchanges earlier mentioned blood found in an apartment). No one in custody and we’re now seeing a K-9 team arriving.
10:23 PM: Per radio exchange, police have yet to finish sorting this out. They’re talking to others who had some role in whatever happened, and an SFD unit is headed back to the original Delridge/Trenton scene.
The photo is from Susan in South Delridge, who e-mailed to say, “Found this little scooter on my property … It was hidden pretty well in the bushes. It’s a little beat up, but still belonged to someone. It is heavy and could only get it moved from the bushes (because it has a flat tire) to near the sidewalk and now visible from the street.” Yours? Let us know.
2:26 PM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed for 2424 SW Andover, which is the address for the Nucor Steel plant. The report is a “room fire,” per dispatch. Updates to come.
2:29 PM: The first unit to report in says the problem involves “titanium dust from a printer.”
2:34 PM: Per SFD site command, monitored via scanner, “this is a known ongoing issue” and an onsite extinguisher has been “used to contain the fire.”
2:40 PM: The incident log shows all but three SFD units dismissed from the call. The response isn’t visible from outside the plant grounds.
Though Metro Route 120 isn’t scheduled to become the RapidRide H Line until 2021, key design and planning decisions are being made soon because it’s a lot more involved than swapping out buses. One big relatively new feature of the project – Delridge Way will be repaved, all along the north half-or-so that wasn’t part of the 2013 south half-or-so repaving project. As shown last night at the SDOT/Metro open house in White Center – the first major update since the one we showed you back in January – other changes big and small are in the works. If you weren’t there, you’ll want to take a look, whether your use of Delridge involves driving, walking, biking, and/or bus-riding. First, here’s what SDOT showed at the open house:
(If that version doesn’t work for you, here’s the PDF.) And here’s what Metro showed at the open house – our display starts with the routing but that’s the last four pages:
(Here’s the PDF version.)
Talking with Metro and SDOT reps at the open house, we learned that while things are currently in the 10 percent design stage,” they will soon be at 30 percent design, so most of the feedback they get now will be addressed in the phase after that – the 60 percent stage. That’s expected to be reached next spring. In the meantime, get your thoughts in now – including the station locations and whether you have any requests about making them easier to reach – here’s the “online open house” you can use to do that.
(WSB photo from November 2014)
Again this fall, Puget Soundkeeper is hoping for help with its salmon survey. There’s an orientation tonight (Wednesday) for potential volunteers. Here’s the announcement, including how to RSVP:
Puget Soundkeeper is searching for dedicated volunteers to survey the Coho salmon that return to Longfellow Creek in West Seattle.
During the salmon run each fall, a population of Coho salmon enters the Duwamish River from Elliott Bay, and then swims up Longfellow Creek to spawn. As Coho migrate through urbanized waterways like Longfellow, they encounter a chemical cocktail of toxic runoff from roadways and other paved surfaces. These chemicals severely disorient adult Coho and result in “pre-spawn mortality” in many individuals, meaning the salmon die before reproducing. Previous surveys conducted by the City of Seattle and NOAA on Longfellow Creek have found pre-spawn mortality rates of up to 90% amongst females, an alarmingly high statistic. Examining the number of salmon that return to Longfellow Creek every year and documenting the pre-spawn mortality rate are great indicators of the health of our local waterways. Data gathered from these surveys shared with NOAA, the City of Seattle, Department of Fish and Wildlife and King County.
Volunteers will attend an orientation meeting (tonight) Wednesday, October 10th from 6:30-8:30 pm in West Seattle.
Requirements:
· The nature of this work is geared toward adults only.
· Surveying is a weekly commitment that takes approximately 1 hour to complete. The salmon run begins in mid-October and finishes mid-December, during which there will be a survey every day. Volunteers will be divided into teams of 2-3 people and assigned a weekday to conduct their survey.
· We’re looking for adventurous volunteers! Surveying requires handling fish carcasses found in the creek (with gloves) and dissecting the female salmon to check for eggs.
· Volunteers should be in good physical condition. Surveying in Longfellow Creek requires climbing up and down steep muddy embankments and wading through shallow water on uneven terrain.
· Surveying is conducted in varying weather conditions. If conditions are dangerous (e.g. a downpour), we will cancel on that day. Otherwise, we survey rain or shine.
· Volunteers will be provided with surveying kits and waders (unless you have your own pair). Data collected during the survey will be uploaded by the volunteers into Puget Soundkeeper’s database.
Salmon surveys are a great way to observe one of nature’s most amazing migrations and experience scientific field work. The data we collect from these surveys help us understand the effects of toxic runoff on one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species and determine the best methods to protect them in the future!
RSVP here: pugetsoundkeeper.org/event/salmon-monitoring-at-longfellow-creek-west-seattle
Contact Morgan (morgan@pugetsoundkeeper.org) with additional questions.
Morgan can tell you where to be for tonight’s orientation, too!
New Seattle Public Schools superintendent Denise Juneau‘s “listening tour” now has two local stops:
-This Wednesday (October 10th), she’ll be at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW) for a 6 pm town hall with students, followed by a 7 pm community-wide town hall.
-On October 18th, she’ll be at Concord International Elementary in South Park (723 S. Concord), 6-8 pm, for an event that the co-sponsoring Concord PTA tells us will be “conducted in Spanish with English translation.” Child care and dinner provided.
(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand – Superintendent Juneau at 9/4/18 Roxhill @ EC Hughes ribboncutting)
(WSB photos)
9:20 PM: Thanks for the tips. Big police response right now at Delridge/Juneau as police investigate gunfire. No injuries; officers have more than a dozen evidence markers in the street (Juneau east of Delridge) and some damage is reported at Longfellow Creek Apartments on the other side of the intersection.
9:54 PM: Photos added. Police were too busy for further comment; no info so far on suspect description(s).
Last time we mentioned the now-set-for-2021 Delridge Route 120/RapidRide H Line transition, an upcoming open house was noted. Today, details were announced – one week from tonight, Wednesday, October 10th, 5:30-7:30 pm. The event announcement from SDOT – which is partnering with Metro on the project going back to when it was under the “Delridge Multimodal Corridor” umbrella, since the transition will also “redesign” much of Delridge – includes:
In the Delridge corridor, we are proposing:
Bus lanes
Landscaped medians
Crosswalk improvements
Protected bike lanes and neighborhood greenway connections
Signal upgrades
Paving
Water and sewer pipe upgrades
Spot parking and bike lane removal
Public artLearn more and give specific feedback about this early design work at our upcoming open house with King County Metro.
Attend our open house: Wednesday, October 10 – 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Mount View Elementary School
Cafeteria/Multi-Purpose Room
10811 12th Ave SW, Seattle
*Child care providedFor more information about the open house, please click here to see our postcard.
Stay tuned for an online open house with survey questions if you can’t make the event. Check out our website and keep an eye out for additional email updates from us to learn about additional opportunities to review the preferred option and provide feedback.
If you’re not on the e-mail list already, send a note to DelridgeTransit@seattle.gov. We first reported back in July that the H Line launch date had been pushed back to 2021.
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