West Seattle, Washington
23 Monday
One week from tonight – on Tuesday, August 2nd – side streets around West Seattle (and beyond) will close for neighbors’ block parties during the return of Night Out. It’s a national community-building event with history going back almost 40 years. To close your (non-arterial) street for a Night Out block party, all you have to do is register here.
P.S. If you’re having a party, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner has an offer for you:
On Monday August 1st (the day before Night Out) from 10 am – 2 pm I will be at the SW Precinct, in the community meeting room, to provide you with crime prevention materials, swag, and goodies to give away at your parties!
Please feel free to come by during that time to pick up whatever you might need/want for your get-together.
I will have a variety of goodies, and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If you’ve never been to the precinct, it’s at 2300 SW Webster; the community room is right off the public parking lot on the south side of the building.
6:04 PM: Police are converging on the Fauntleroy/Alaska vicinity, after reports of gunfire outside a business at The Whittaker. No reports of injuries so far and no other info yet on the circumstances. They’re looking for two people described as a Black man and woman in their 20s; he is about 5’6″, with an Afro hairstyle, in baggy black and yellow clothing; she is about 5’5″, straight black/reddish-purple hair, black clothing. She is reported to have fired a shot; he is reported to have a hatchet. More when we get it.
6:10 PM: We talked to a sergeant in the area; they told us they’re still trying to sort out the circumstances of the gunfire, whether someone was specifically targeted or it was random. They confirmed that no injuries are reported.
6:19 PM: Police report finding “one fired cartridge” on the east side of the Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection.
ADDED FRIDAY: Only one added detail from a police summary today (also noted by a commenter) – the incident started at the gas station in the California/Alaska intersection.
Police were just dispatched to the Jefferson Square Safeway to investigate what’s described as a shoplift-turned-robbery. Dispatch told officers the shoplifter took about $90 in merchandise and, when confronted, pulled a gun – that’s what turned it into an armed robbery. Initial description is a Hispanic man in his 20s, wearing a gray T-shirt with a Seahawks logo, tattooed arms, who left in a dark-blue Subaru hatchback, last seen eastbound on SW Edmunds. No injuries reported.
One or both of these might be of interest:
ISLAND VIEW BLOCK WATCH: Two months ago, a resident of this complex was carjacked, and that brought safety concerns in the spotlight. Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner asked us to publish this announcement:
Date: Tuesday July 12th
Time: 6 pm- 7 pm
Location: Island View SHA Senior Living Community (3033 California Ave SW)
Topic: Community Safety and Block Watch
Please join us if you live within a few blocks of Island View to speak about what Block Watch is all about, how to report suspicious and/or criminal activity and how to assist in making your community safer.
COMMUNITY-POLICE DIALOGUES: Wherever you live in West Seattle, you’re invited to a conversation with police and researchers. Here’s the invitation:
Seattle University collaborates with the Seattle Police Department to conduct the annual Seattle Public Safety Survey as part of the Micro-Community Policing Plans (MCPP). As part of the MCPP, Seattle University will be holding a series of virtual community-police dialogues. The purpose of the dialogues is to provide community members and Seattle Police personnel opportunity to engage in conversation about the findings of the 2021 Seattle Public Safety Survey and to discuss real-time concerns about crime and public safety at the precinct and micro-community (neighborhood) level.
You don’t have to live in one of the MCPP neighborhoods to participate in the next Southwest Precinct-specific dialogue; it’s happening online at 5:30 pm Thursday, July 14th. If you’re interested, the registration link is here.
12:24 PM: Thanks for the tips about the police/fire response in the alley east of the 4500 block of 44th SW in The Junction around 11 am, just east of Wells Fargo. Police told us the call came in as a person down, and the person had died. Archived emergency-radio audio indicates someone was trying to perform CPR before responders arrived, and SFD continued trying, but the person could not be revived. It’ll be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death. No other info so far.
ADDED MONDAY: We doublechecked with police today, and they reiterate that so far, there’s “nothing suspicious” about the death. The ME’s Office has not yet released a name or cause of death. The person who tried to save him and initially called 911 described the person as a man.
Police are in the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW right now, investigating a reported shooting. The victim apparently turned up in White Center, so there’s been no medical callout at the Delridge scene. No information on circumstances yet; we’ll update if/when we find out more.
(WSB photo)
11:49 AM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle Police are investigating a robbery at the Westwood Village Chase Bank. Investigators were all inside the bank when we went over to try to find out more, so we weren’t able to talk with anyone, but it was dispatched about an hour ago as a “robbery at gunpoint,” involving two robbers; the gun was implied but not seen. No injuries reported. The bank is still closed while the investigation continues. We’re still listening to archived audio for description information.
12:07 PM: Officers told dispatch that the robbers were seen getting away in a silver sedan, likely a mid-2000s Mercedes “S or E class” linked to other robberies. They were described as 20ish Black men, one clothed partly in black and one clothed partly in orange; the car, with no rear plate, was last seen headed northbound on 29th SW from Barton.
3:02 PM: A bit more information from the preliminary police summary – “The (robbers) handed the bank employee a note that requested money and threatened to shoot up the bank if their demands weren’t met. The bank employee gave (them) cash, and (they) left the bank and entered a vehicle that was near Roxhill Park. … The suspects in this robbery are possibly the same suspects from a Robbery that occurred later at a Chase Bank in Des Moines.”
Police were investigating a report of gunfire on West Marginal Way around 3 pm. We asked for information and just got their summary:
Officers responded to a shooting near Highland Park Way SW and W Marginal Way SW. Upon arrival, they located the victim and his vehicle. The victim’s vehicle had three bullet holes in it. The victim stated he observed drivers of two older sedans racing each (other) from the Chelan Cafe heading southbound on W Marginal Way SW. The victim, who was not involved in the racing, stated that when he caught up to one of the vehicles he confronted the driver and passenger about the reckless driving. Heated words were exchanged between all parties and ended when both the driver and passenger of the Honda Civic shot at the victim’s vehicle. The suspects then fled the scene heading southbound toward Tukwila. Shell casings were recovered at the scene and a bullet fragment from the victim’s vehicle. No injuries to the victim.
6:48 PM: Thanks for the tips. The big police response at 34th/Morgan was because of a person in crisis outside the Stewart Manor. He was believed to have possibly had a knife. Police have just ended the standoff and taken him into custody after using a beanbag round. The scene should be clearing soon.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The police-report summary says they first got a call at 3:06 pm:
Officers arrived and located the suspect in an agitated state holding a stick and claiming to want to fight the reporting party. The suspect was observed while the victim was contacted. The victim reported that the suspect had approached his apartment door brandishing a knife while making threats to kill the victim and causing damage to the door. Probable cause was established for felony harassment. The suspect was advised he was under arrest, but he retreated further into a contained rear fence area. The suspect produced a knife and waived it at officers while stating he wanted to fight and was planning suicide by cop. After verbal communications broke down, HNT was requested. A lengthy standoff ensued until the subject’s behavior escalated. After breaking a window with a large rock, the suspect removed his belt and held it as a whip in one hand while waiving the knife around in the other. The suspect began cutting himself with the knife causing multiple lacerations to his torso and arm. In an effort to take the suspect into custody, a less lethal launcher was used resulting in a type II Use of Force. The suspect became compliant shortly thereafter and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was transported to HMC for medical treatment before being booked into KCJ.
(HNT = trained officer[s] from the Hostage Negotiation Team.)
12:35 AM: Police are investigating two reported shootings right now in West Seattle. SFD is arriving at 26th and Juneau for a report of a gunshot victim there. This was a short time after King County Sheriff’s Office deputies got a call from someone who said they were taking a shooting victim to a Burien hospital and subsequently learned the shooting was reported to have happened in the city, near 16th/Cambridge. We don’t know if these reports are linked in any way. More info when we get it.
1:15 AM: We haven’t heard anything more regarding 16th/Cambridge, but at what’s been revised to 25th/Juneau, SFD told dispatch that police reported one person ‘obviously deceased.” We don’t know yet if this is a homicide investigation.
2:01 AM: No official information from police yet but listening back to radio recordings, the area where the person died was described as an encampment. And right now, police are continuing to canvass the area for cameras.
3:22 AM: Here’s what SPD just posted:
(SPD photo)
Detectives are investigating after a man was shot and killed at a Delridge encampment early Monday morning.
At 12:20 a.m., a 911 caller reported someone had been shot in an encampment near 26th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Juneau Street.
Officers arrived and located the male shooting victim, who had sustained significant injuries. Seattle Fire Department Medics responded to the scene and declared the man deceased.
Members of SPD’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit responded to process the scene for evidence. Homicide detectives also responded and will continue to investigate.
Anyone with information about this incident should call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
This is the first homicide case in West Seattle since the deadly Alki shooting one year ago.
ADDED TUESDAY: The King County Medical Examiner identifies the victim as 37-year-old Dylan Hunter and says he died of a gunshot wound to the head.
UPDATED WEDNESDAY: Though at the time that ID was announced, this was the only shooting death reported in the city, police are now saying they’ve discovered another one that happened at an encampment in Ballard, and that’s apparently the one linked to the name mentioned here yesterday.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Concerns about safety in and around Westwood Village were the focus of a community forum organized and hosted by the Seattle Police Department.
The meeting was held online last week by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, at the request of staff and residents at nearby Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor), but was open to neighbors and the general public (as we previewed here). The agenda included safety trends, suggestions for how to best communicate with neighbors and report issues to SPD effectively, and how to best use the neighborhood Block Watch model.
Danner was joined in the meeting by Southwest Precinct officer Tammy Frame, along with Crime Prevention Coordinator colleagues Sarah Lawson and Katelyn Yep (from SPD’s North Precinct).
Lots of questions after Seattle Police and a King County Medical Examiner’s Office crew were seen on SW Admiral Way outside Schmitz Park on Tuesday afternoon. As we told several people who have inquired, the call classification indicated no foul play suspected, but we verified that today to be sure before writing about it. Police say the person was found dead “on the stairs” into the park, and that there’s “nothing suspicious at this time,” but it will be up to the ME to determine how/why the person died. So far, we don’t have any information about the person – but will add anything we do find out.
SPD published a roundup tonight of confirmed gun-involved incidents around the city this weekend. Three cases of confirmed gunfire – no injuries – were in West Seattle:
SATURDAY, 4:21 AM: Officers “found multiple shell casings” after 911 callers said they heard gunfire in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW [map].
SUNDAY, 1:37 AM: Officers “collected shell casings and documented ballistic damage to a parked car” after getting reports of “two groups … shooting at each other” in the 1000 block of Harbor Avenue SW [map].
SUNDAY, 6:13 AM: Police found “ballistic evidence” after residents in the 8800 block of 9th SW [map] called to report suspected gunfire. Officers were told of “a male suspect chasing another man through back yards, including scaling a shed at one point.”
We noticed that Seattle Police car at Alki Beach around 6:30 pm, a few hours before officers are supposed to start helping Parks personnel close the park for the night. This is the first night of a second summer for the 10 pm closing time at Alki (and Golden Gardens); we first reported in March that the city planned to do it again this year. The beach wasn’t too busy when we went through, but the below-60 temperature is likely more responsible for that than anticipation of early park closure. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Martin Rivera told the Alki Community Council last week that Parks is supposed to cover the cost of two officers assisting at closing time. One more change ahead at Alki: The beach fire rings are supposed to officially open starting tomorrow; fires are supposed to be out by 9:30 pm.
(WSB photo, Thursday @ Alki)
One day after Seattle Parks announced the start date for early closings at Alki, the beach’s summer plan was the main discussion topic for the Alki Community Council.
Seattle Police Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Martin Rivera was the only guest at the hybrid meeting, held online plus in-person at Alki UCC.
Capt. Rivera said SPD is working on a contract with Parks regarding the early Alki Beach closure (10 pm starting May 27th). Parks covers the cost of two officers to assist at closing time, he said, and SPD provides an additional four officers for an emphasis patrol in the area “when staffing allows.” Starting this week, Alki and other West Seattle “hot spots” will see the extra patrols Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, possibly also Sundays.
What about traffic enforcement on Alki/Harbor Avenues? Capt. Rivera said SPD and SDOT have been talking about ways to deter speeding and racing via road design, primarily the possible addition of speed bumps. He said so far it’s just a matter of funding – he likes the idea of raised crosswalks but says those are estimated at around $80,000, about eight times the cost of a speed bump. Asked about the potential location, Capt. Rivera suggested “each end” of Alki; data collection was planned to further shape a plan, and he suggested contacting Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner if you want to be involved. Could private money be raised to fund speed bumps? one attendee asked. Capt. Rivera wasn’t sure. They’re also in talks regarding the angle-parking area and how that can be reconfigured to minimize problems. “Maybe it needs to go back to lateral parking,” he mused. (Aside: In a discussion of Alki as a regional draw despite the bridge closure, he said he heard “end of July the bridge might be open again.”) Other road issue: Regarding the Alki Point “Keep Moving Street” status, he said they’re just “waiting for the mayor to say yes” to making it permanent. (Later a community member who’s been advocating for permanence mentioned a recent meeting with a mayoral rep.) Someone asked about Parking Enforcement; Capt. Rivera reminded attendees that those officers now work for SDOT. Bike officers? No bike officers, no Community Police Team, “we just have 911 (responding) officers,” he said.
That led into a brief discussion of police staffing: “Every shift is missing five or six bodies,” Rivera said. For those keeping track of personnel, acting Lt. Dave Terry, who had attended many West Seattle community meetings as a shift supervisor, has been promoted to the SPD Audits section. The precinct is now missing 1st and 3rd Watch lieutenants – Lt. Terry had been 3rd, and the 1st watch lieutenant has now been moved to the citywide intradepartmental group dealing with homelessness. He also said the precinct had added three new officers recently but also lost three, so is currently about 15 people below where staffing should be.
The ACC had hoped to have a guest from Seattle Parks but they were a no-show. One more note – Parks is running a survey about the early closing time at Alki (and Golden Gardens) – here’s the link.
NEXT MEETING: Third Thursdays at 7 pm most months – so the next one will be June 16th.
Back in March, Mayor Bruce Harrell said he would appoint a committee and launch a website and community survey as part of the process of finding a permanent Seattle Police Chief. Today he made good on those promises. Here’s the list of 14 committee members, with at least three West Seattleites:
SPD Chief of Police Search Committee
Council President Debora Juarez, Seattle City Council
Councilmember Lisa Herbold*, Seattle City Council
Lieutenant Scott Bachler, Seattle Police Management Association
Prachi Dave, Policy and Advocacy Director, Public Defender Association; Commissioner, Community Police Commission
Gabe Galanda, Managing Lawyer, Galanda Broadman, PLLC
Erin Goodman, Executive Director, SODO Business Improvement Area
Esther Lucero, Chief Executive Officer, Seattle Indian Health Board
Jim Pugel, former SPD Chief of Police
Robert Saka*, Attorney, Microsoft Corporation
Rachel Smith, President & CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Mary Ellen Stone, Chief Executive Officer, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
Reverend Harriett Walden, Founder, Mothers for Police Accountability; Co-Chair, Community Police Commission
Natalie Walton-Anderson*, Criminal Division Chief, Seattle City Attorney’s Office
Bishop Reggie Witherspoon, Mount Calvary Christian Center
Today’s announcement also says the firm Public Sector Search & Consulting is working on “an initial list of candidates” – applications are being accepted through July 5th, via Gary Peterson, Gary@PublicSectorSearch.com. The committee then will pick five finalists who move on to take the mandatory competitive examination, and committee members will come up with the written questions for it.
As for the promised website with updates and information about the search process, see it here. For the 10-question community survey “to give feedback on what issues matter most to them in the search,” go here. (The announcement notes that “the website and survey are available in English, Amharic, Chinese (traditional), Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.” Seattle’s been without a permanent police chief since August of 2020.
Two updates from downtown this afternoon on public-safety issues of note:
POLICE HIRING: Last night we previewed tomorrow’s City Council Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting, for which the agenda includes two divergent proposals by Councilmember Lisa Herbold – the committee’s chair – and Councilmember Sara Nelson. This afternoon, a news release announces that they have agreed to work together on the issue, though previously Nelson had noted that Herbold declined to co-sponsor her proposal, a resolution supporting hiring incentives such as bonuses; Herbold had proposed an ordinance that would cover moving expenses for new SPD hires and some other hard-to-fill city jobs, and pay for a police recruiter. The news release says both councilmembers have agreed to work with Mayor Bruce Harrell on “a unified approach and path forward to passing legislation related to hiring incentives in support of improving public safety.” He is quoted as calling both councilmembers’ original legislation “two thoughtful proposals.” Nelson now plans to offer a “friendly amendment” to Herbold’s proposal that would add money for “SPD’s recruitment advertising and outreach budget.” The mayor, meantime, promises to propose a “more comprehensive recruitment strategy … before summer.”
REPEAT OFFENDERS: According to another news release, Seattle Municipal Court judges have agreed to City Attorney Ann Davison‘s request to exclude certain repeat offenders – aka “high utilizers” – from the Seattle Community Court program. The announcement says they’ve agreed to this somewhat under protest – “The court strongly disagrees that Community Court has not been effective in dealing with the ‘high utilizer’ individuals.” The program, less than two years old, is described as intended “to assist individuals booked into jail on low level misdemeanor charges through access to services in the community instead of sitting in jail waiting for a court date.” Previously, the court had said it was “evaluating” Davison’s proposal.
Two weeks ago, we reported on a discussion of Seattle Police‘s staffing/hiring struggles in the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee, chaired by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold. This Tuesday, the issue is back on the committee’s agenda, as are measures proposed by Herbold and by citywide Councilmember Sara Nelson. Herbold is proposing covering moving expenses for hires in SPD and some other city departments, while Nelson is proposing a resolution supporting hiring incentives such as bonuses. Both measures could be voted on at this meeting. Also on the agenda: An SPD report, as required by the council, on the department’s “efforts to identify a non‐sworn response for 911 call types that the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform categorized as appropriate for a civilian response.” The report notes that’s not so simple, as most calls turn out to be something other than what they were dispatched as, so SPD says it’s launched a project “to develop a risk assessment matrix to help determine which calls can be safely off‐loaded to an alternative response (though risk will never be completely eliminated).” This and the two councilmembers’ hiring-related proposals are on the agenda for the 9:30 am Tuesday (May 10th) meeting, which also explains how to watch/listen, and how to comment.
Police are on the scene of a crash at 18th/Henderson involving a stolen car (above). According to emergency-radio traffic we were monitoring before the crash, the car drew the attention of an officer responding to something else. He was following it for a while, then lost track of it – until discovering it had crashed into other vehicles at 18th/Henderson. The driver, described so far only as “a white female,” ran. According to subsequent radio communication, the car, a beige Toyota Camry, was reported stolen from Federal Way. At the scene, our photographer was told that the Camry driver clipped at least two other vehicles, including this one:
Finally, the driver hit a Honda, pushing it up onto the sidewalk. No injuries reported at this point.
Police responded to multiple reports of suspected gunfire late last night, and found evidence at one location – Riverview Playfield. People nearby started calling 911 just after 10 pm. Police reported finding at least four casings in the parking lot, about 100 feet south of the park restrooms. No property damage or injuries were reported. Officers were told “two silver sedans” were seen leaving the area right after the shots were heard. If you have any information, the SPD incident number is 22-112222.
SIDE NOTE: SPD’s Tweets by Beat, the source for the automated feed at the top of our Crime Watch page (and also used by some apps), changed various call classifications recently and no longer differentiates between confirmed and unconfirmed gunfire reports – previously, an unconfirmed report was labeled “noise disturbance.” This change also can mean multiple entries for the same incident if the (possible) shots were called in by multiple people (as was the case with Riverview).
Drug Take-Back Day outside the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) is more than just a dropoff event for your unwanted/expired prescription drugs – it’s also a chance to talk with SPD reps. In our photo are the precinct’s longtime Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner and Officer Matthew Roberson. We stopped by in the first hour and dropoffs already had filled two boxes. This continues until 2 pm today.
(Added: WSB photo)
Police are searching for a 2000 dark green Honda Accord reported stolen at gunpoint from the alley on the west side of the 3000 block of California SW. According to emergency-radio exchanges, the car’s owner said two men armed with pistols took her car and were last seen northbound in the alley. The preliminary description, according to dispatch and officers, was two Black men in their mid-20s, 5’8″, medium build, in light-colored hoodies, one with “some kind of badge,” both with pistols. The car’s plates were reported to start with BXU, and the car is reported to have rust on the roof. The victim was not hurt. If you have any information, call 911.
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