West Seattle, Washington
22 Sunday
Tonight at 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct, the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network is back in action, and you’re invited to join them in learning the best way to convey information to police – how to describe a suspicious person, vehicle, etc. Meantime, the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon has shared one of his periodic newsletters, with advice that might help you prevent a burglary – plus some insight into the current burglary “trends.” Read on:Read More
Though a suspect is behind bars, the investigation continues into Saturday night’s deadly shooting by Morgan Junction Park (original WSB coverage here; yesterday’s court coverage here). Given that the shooting happened near a busy nightlife area barely a block from a major intersection, police believe there may be more witnesses out there, and would like to talk with them. They’re asking that anyone with information contact the Seattle Police Homicide Division: You can leave a message any time on the tip line at 206-233-5000, or you can speak to someone by calling 206-684-5550 (answered 8 am-11 pm).
(UPDATED SUNDAY AFTERNOON – scroll down)
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
9:59 PM: Police and fire are in the 4800 block of 35th SW after a report of a shooting. The scanner says the suspect vehicle MIGHT have been a blue BMW, license plate starting with 478, “last seen northbound on California.” Scanner traffic also indicates the victim is a 46-year-old man shot four times. Our crew will be at the scene shortly.
10:10 PM UPDATE: According to scanner traffic, the man was shot somewhere else and taken to Providence Mount St. Vincent, where police found him. CPR is under way.
10:18 PM UPDATE: Minutes before the victim turned up at The Mount, we had a report of gunshots heard in Morgan Junction – and indeed, police are reporting that’s where the shooting happened, in the 6400 block of California SW. According to SPD via Twitter, he “drove himself” to The Mount, which is not a public hospital but rather a nursing home/retirement facility. He has since been rushed to Harborview Medical Center.
10:37 PM UPDATE: The scene is apparently closer to Morgan Junction Park, according to a witness who told us a vehicle associated with the victim – which we also saw at The Mount – was parked by the construction equipment outside the park. Police are there investigating – we’ve added a photo above.
10:58 PM UPDATE: The photo immediately above this line is the truck in which the victim is reported to have arrived at Providence Mount St. Vincent. We’ve also substituted a clearer photo of the shooting scene by Morgan Junction Park.
2:10 AM: No updates from police so far. We’ll keep following up.
7:13 AM: According to Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, one person was arrested overnight in connection with the incident. But he said further details would have to come from the SPD Media Relations team (which has not yet published its account of the incident).
7:34 AM: Police have JUST updated SPD Blotter. Here’s what they write:
On 1/21/12 at approximately 9:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to a shots fired call in the 6500 block of California Av SW. The call was updated with the suspect and the victim leaving northbound in separate cars.
Several witnesses were located and interviewed. The victim and his car were located in the 4800 block of 35 SW. The victim was shot 4 times in the chest.
Utilizing good investigative techniques, patrol officers were able to locate an address for the suspect. The Anti Crime Team & Gang Detectives responded to the suspect’s address. The suspect was arrested and the gun recovered. Homicide and CSI responded and processed the scene. As of 2:00 a.m., the 36-year-0ld male victim was still alive at an area hospital. His injuries are life threatening. The suspect, an adult male was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Assault.
Police had gone to a Gatewood address in search of one person whose name they mentioned over the radio as a possible suspect. That name is not currently on the King County Jail Register, however.
3:32 PM UPDATE: Now it is. A 67-year-old Gatewood man is the suspect jailed in connection with last night’s shooting near Morgan Junction Park.
The status of the 35-year-old victim is not clear; a friend tells WSB his mother in Florida told them he did not survive, but authorities are so far not confirming (or denying) that, and Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Renee Witt told us, “I don’t anticipate any additional information being released today on this case.” The King County Jail Register lists the suspect as being held on suspicion of assault, not homicide, at this point.
One friend, Jamie, who says he was with the victim when he got shot and is the person who drove the victim to Providence Mount St. Vincent, thinking it was a hospital, has told us his story, by phone. (He has participated in the comment discussion, below.)
Caveat from your editor here: While there is no certain way to confirm that someone calling you by phone is who they say they are, saw what they said they saw – nor, frankly, is that sort of confirmation available if you talk to someone at a crime scene who says they are a witness – we will say that details Jamie mentioned include information that we heard police discuss by radio, but did not include in our published story. So here’s what he told us:
The only public meeting not canceled last night was the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, which proceeded with its usual agenda of crime-trend updates from Southwest Precinct leadership, followed by a guest speaker.
Operations Lt. Pierre Davis summarized the wave of burglaries that “hit hard” in West Seattle toward the end of 2011 – and the 17 arrests (as of last week) that he said have made a a dent in the trend. He says regional agencies connected it all to a “burglary ring” that had been working in South King County as well as Seattle (and not just WS), possibly even Portland. The resulting (albeit temporary) explosion in burglaries was so big at one point, he said, that in the first week of December, there were 25 burglaries in this area – but by the first week of January, that was down to five, closer to the usual average. Lt. Davis said arrests were possible largely thanks to good evidence and good witness descriptions – which led to another reminder, if you see something suspicious, call it in.
The night’s special guest was Officer W.J. Witt, who worked with the Aggressive Driver Response Team before moving recently to the new Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad. He spent much of his time fielding specific questions – including, what can be done about “aggressive drivers” who aren’t in the usual places often staked out by police. His answer: Call 911 if it’s a problem happening *now*. Otherwise, you can also leave a message with the Traffic division – ADRT is part of that division (not based in WS) – at 206-684-8722. Regarding the CVES – you can get a taste of what they’re up to, by checking out this recent report from SPD Blotter.
7:13 PM: Right now, police are responding to a report of possible trouble atop the SW Charlestown hill, a few blocks west of California, a popular sledding spot today – someone called 911 to report fireworks, a bonfire, and possible alcohol use. The fireworks component reminds us that we finally got an answer to a question several asked about an incident southwest of The Junction last night. Neighbors saw multiple police cars after what sounded like gunshots. Southwest Precinct Lt. Pierre Davis tells WSB it was determined to be fireworks – witnesses saw them being lit.
ADDED 8:09 PM: Neighbor CR sent these photos from Charlestown, following our publication of the report above, and says:
As a neighbor at the top of Charlestown Hill, I’ve enjoyed watching the kids and adults have fun here all day. Everyone was very respectful and friendly, I can’t imagine why someone called the police. Fireworks? yes, a couple Bonfire? yep, on the concrete where it was nice and safe. How often do we get a real good snow here in Seattle? People really need to lighten up and let the overworked police focus on bigger stuff.
Four days before a member of the Seattle Police Aggressive Driver Response Team makes a guest appearance at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s next meeting, ADRT was back in action in West Seattle today, including 35th SW, Admiral Way, and local school zones. See the SPD Blotter roundup here; come to the Southwest Precinct (Webster/Delridge) at 7 pm Tuesday to hear how they work (and ask questions!).
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, beyond our ongoing breaking-news (etc.) coverage:
*Around 1 p.m. last Saturday, several “suspicious people” were seen near SW Avalon and Genesee carrying multiple items. As officers approached, one threw a bag of meth over the fence onto the golf course. He was carrying two backpacks. Inside: Five laptop computers, three cellular phones, an iPod, and assorted small hard drives, memory cards, cables and peripherals. He was also carrying multiple tools favored by burglars, such as lock cutters, wire cutters, knives and razors. The suspect claims that he bought all the items on Craigslist and that they are not stolen. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of possession of stolen property and narcotics possession.
Ahead, five more summaries, starting with the case of the drunk door-kicker:Read More
Seattle Police have closed off a small part of Solstice Park, (across from the north end of Lincoln Park). After getting a tip about this (and subsequent questions via e-mail from people wondering what was going on), we went over to find out. Investigators at the scene tell us a body was found at the park. Police are not commenting officially on the cause of death but they do tell us that Homicide detectives are not being called – in other words, foul play is not suspected. A King County Medical Examiner crew is expected to arrive soon to remove the body.
Received this late today from Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis:
A group of very humbled officers came to me earlier today and told me of an act of kindness that is indicative of the kind of people we serve here in West Seattle.
They stated that they were finishing their lunch at the Circa restaurant located at California & Admiral and needed to pay their bill but was told by the waitress that an anonymous citizen had taken care of their tab, stating that their service to the community and city was very much appreciated. The officers, after acknowledging the gesture, left the restaurant and reported what had occurred. Needless to say the officers were touched that their West Seattle Community would once again show that their officers remain cherished and in high regard. So on behalf of your West Seattle officers we would like to say “thank you” to our West Seattle Community for continuously making the extra effort to strengthen the community/police partnership.
Tonight we finally have details on the gunfire incident that brought Seattle Police SWAT officers to an Alki neighborhood in the early hours of New Year’s Day, as mentioned briefly here that night.
We’ve obtained the full police report; what follows is what SPD says happened, starting with multiple 911 calls reporting “shots fired” at 60th/Hinds (map) less than an hour into the New Year:Read More
A question came in last night about a police/fire sighting at Sanislo Elementary on New Year’s Day. Nothing on the logs when we looked – but now the answer is in, via SPD Blotter:
On 01-01-2012, just shortly before 3:00 p.m., officers responded with school security, to an alarm at a school in the 1800 block of SW Myrtle St. Officers set up containment and used Seattle Fire Department ladders to gain access to the rooftop, where the 2 suspects (men 27 and 19 years-old) were hiding. The suspects were taking into custody without incident. The suspects had two packs filled with items stolen from the school. They also had burglary tools. Both suspects were booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary.
That wasn’t the only time local police called on SFD to help with an investigation this past week – we covered a ladder-to-the-roof effort early December 29th in The Junction.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, beyond our ongoing breaking-news (etc.) coverage:
*Early Christmas morning, officers contacted two men suspected of threatening and harassing a woman in the 2100 block of Harbor Ave. SW. Luckily, one was deterred from reaching toward the small of his back; it turned out that he was carrying a loaded Colt .45 handgun in a shoulder holster. He did not have a license to carry the weapon, which had been reported stolen from a home in Redmond associated with gang activity. He also carried prescription muscle relaxer, 15 rounds of loose .45-caliber ammo, a stolen wallet and Social Security card. The other suspect carried 63 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, two crack pipe kits, and one needle kit. One of the suspects is an 18-year-old with a Alaska Junction area address; the other is a 22-year-old transient whose last known address was in Arlington. Both were booked into King County Jail for investigation of narcotics possession and harassment. One faces additional charges for carrying a concealed pistol and for possession of stolen property.
Seven more summaries ahead, including another bullet discovery, driving dilemmas, and more:Read More
Thanks to those who have texted in the past few minutes about a police search under way in the Camp Long/north High Point area. According to scanner traffic, a resident reported seeing someone emerge from a crawl space under a home and run away. That’s all we know so far; the description mentioned over the airwaves included “dirty blond hair” and a light-colored shirt.
Meantime, there is finally a tiny bit of official information regarding an incident early this morning in the Alki area that led to a major response in the 60th/Admiral/Hinds area. A neighbor had told us it involved people firing guns, and that indeed is the official online designation finally posted for the call (“weapon discharge”). We don’t know if anyone was arrested, and may not be able to find that out until after the extended holiday weekend.
SPD Blotter is updated tonight with a couple more lists of warnings/citations from special patrols by the Aggressive Driver Response Team. This time, they were out on the newly opened lanes of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct, where they say someone was doing 59 mph in the stretch where the speed limit is now 25 mph; on the West Seattle Bridge, where the list is topped by 72 mph in a 45 zone; and on Admiral Way. Those lists ahead:Read More
We took that photo about 3:30 am in the heart of The Junction, as Seattle Fire Department‘s Ladder 11 handled a call in the 4700 block of California that didn’t involve any of the usual problems they respond to – fire, medical, car crash. What we heard via the scanner went something like this: Police called for the truck’s help so they could get onto the roof on the east side of the block, looking for any evidence of a possible break-in. They had originally responded to a report of an alarm going off, and found an open door behind one of the businesses. Once Ladder 11 arrived, police cars briefly blocked off that stretch of California (no traffic effects at that hour); up went the ladder, up went police, down came police, down came the ladder, all in a relatively short span. We just checked with the precinct to see if any evidence of a break-in was ever found; bottom line – no. So this is just one from the “while you slept” file.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Last Saturday afternoon at Westwood Village, two women had been waiting for a particular parking spot when a fellow driver decided he wanted the same space. One got out of the car and stood in front of the space so that her friend could claim it. Not appreciating this, the other driver drove forward and bumped her three times in the back of the legs before parking nearby. He walked off without saying a word to the women.
Seven more summaries ahead:Read More
5:15 PM: Thanks to everyone who has texted about this – we heard the sirens from a mile south. There’s a major police search in the Seaview area. We have a crew there, and we’re still working to confirm details.
5:33 PM UPDATE: Police at the scene, which is near 45th/Findlay (map), tell us this was called in as a burglary in progress – possibly with people in the house when it happened. They’re searching the area, with K-9 help, for two suspects. We also learned from a nearby resident that police had been called earlier in the afternoon about people who appeared to be trying doors in the area.
As reported in recent WSB Crime Watch updates, police have been making progress in catching suspects in what until recently had been an rash of break-ins; just yesterday, according to Southwest Precinct Capt. Steve Paulsen, they arrested a suspect after a burglary in Fauntleroy.
7:45 PM UPDATE: Neighbor Kristina provides more information in a comment, from which this is excerpted:
This happened next door to my house. My neighbor’s wife had just left in the car to run errands with their two small children, and my neighbor had just come out of the shower and was getting dressed when a man came up behind him and started strangling him. He was able to get away, came to my house, and we called 911. Terrifying for all of us, but everyone was safe in the end (fortunately my neighbor is a strong man). The burglar had kicked in a back door to get in. One theory is that the burglar had watched the wife and kids leave, and thought that the house was empty, but didn’t know that the husband was home.
8:27 PM UPDATE: And more new information, from Capt. Paulsen: “(On) further investigation of the occupied burglary (it) was determined to be a family matter. We are following up on the deceptive reporting given the amount of resources used/responded.”
From SPD Blotter, the latest reports from the special patrol teams looking for “aggressive drivers” – both in West Seattle. The introduction notes this is a “combination of citations and warnings,” for:
35th Avenue SW
1 at 54 mph
1 at 50 mph
2 at 48 mph
2 at 47 mph
3 at 46 mph
2 at 45 mph
3 Cell Phone
3 No Proof of Insurance
1 Inattention to Driving
2 Expired Vehicle License Plate
1 Lane Change
1 No Front License Plate …Highland Park Way SW – 30 mph zone
1 at 50 mph
1 at 49 mph
1 at 48 mph
1 at 47 mph
2 at 46 mph
4 at 45 mph
2 No Proof of Insurance
The full writeup on SPD Blotter also includes a “thank-you note” the department says it received from a 35th SW resident.
Southwest Precinct Officer Scott Luckie admits he wasn’t using Twitter till he was “volunteered” for today’s “tweetalong,” the latest in a series that Seattle Police have done around the city – first one in West Seattle. Until 8 pm, he is “tweeting” what happens during his shift patrolling eastern West Seattle and South Park, starting with the routine – a mention of roll call (11 am, just before we stopped by the precinct to talk with him – the photo at right is the one WE took for Twitter), followed by this:
What will the rest of the day bring? You can follow along at twitter.com/seattlepd. Officer Luckie told us calls he answered in the past few days including a man trying to break into a house by using a chain saw. (We’re looking for the report on that one.) He has some ground rules to follow, including no photos of suspects’ faces, but otherwise, he’s the one doing the tweeting (which surprised us – we figured he might have someone from downtown along for the ride, helping out).
(10/24/11 photo taken, and shared with WSB, by Mark)
Two months ago, WSB traffic updates on the first weekday of the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure nicknamed “Viadoom” included breaking news about a West Seattle man hit by a semi-truck while jogging to work east of the low bridge. Tim Nelson wound up in the hospital for more than a week with serious injuries, including broken bones, a collapsed lung, and lacerated kidney and spleen; friends raised money to help with his expenses.
Tonight, a new twist in the incident. Police are reviewing a video/audio recording showing the crash scene through the windshield of a Seattle Police car while insulting remarks are heard off-camera, apparently made by two people inside the car including a Southwest Precinct officer who responded to the scene. Nelson obtained the in-car “dash cam” video and posted an edited version on YouTube, adding music, captions, and his observations:Read More
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Monday, just after midnight, as a taxi dropped off a fare at 32nd and SW Genesee, the occupants (which included a child) were startled by a loud crash: Someone had thrown a rock at the windshield, shattering the upper-right section. A suspect was spotted nearby and was thought to be the “neighborhood homeless man” who had been living in a car on the street for at least a week and been an annoyance to residents. (He was reported to have a history of violence, substance abuse, access to handguns, and hostility toward law enforcement.) The suspect called 911 later and claimed that an officer had stolen his cell phone. He returned to the scene, and although his clothes matched those described by the victims, he denied any involvement with the rock incident. He agreed to move on after being told about the neighborhood concerns.
Eight more summaries ahead:Read More
(From a dump-truck crash next to Youngstown Arts Center this time last year)
Commercial-vehicle traffic is particularly big for our area with the Port of Seattle stretching into West Seattle, so this is major news: Seattle Police have announced a new task force to keep an eye on commercial vehicles, after discovering they are involved in a sizable percentage of serious local crashes. Here’s the announcement, from SPD Blotter:
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has partnered up with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to create a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad (CVES). The CVES mission is to improve public safety within the Seattle region by reducing the number of unsafe commercial motor vehicles operating on our roadways through a process of education and enforcement.
The SPD squad is made up of four officers from the Traffic Section who completed a three week long commercial vehicle enforcement training course at the WSP Academy. The four CVES officers will devote their time to enforcing commercial vehicle safety regulations and will also be part of a multi-agency commercial vehicle enforcement task force.
Happening as of a short time ago in the Admiral District – police are looking for a suspected hit-run driver who apparently took off after hitting a parked car at California/Hill (the red one in our photo) and then a utility pole. We’ll check with police later to see if they ever found the hit-run driver (no description at this point). No serious injuries reported.
Meantime, also in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, two reader reports about recent burglaries – read on:Read More
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