day : 12/01/2016 8 results

West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Saturday night’s standoff

January 12, 2016 8:49 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Another police report we’ve been seeking to follow up on a recent incident became available today. This one is from the police standoff Saturday night at an apartment building north of The Junction.

(WSB photo, Saturday night)

The report says almost 50 officers ultimately were there as police eventually convinced an armed man – originally reported as having threatened self-harm – to come out of his apartment and surrender peacefully. The report says the man was booked into jail for investigation of domestic-violence assault and a gun-possession violation. According to the report, police learned during the standoff that he was a convicted felon, with a record of assault and weapons convictions in Oregon.

The report says his wife told police he was intoxicated, angry, and confrontational after going out for a walk Saturday night. She reported that he had duct-taped a handgun to his right hand, a .357 revolver that had belonged to her father and had been stored in a safe for a decade. She said he threatened to shoot and kill her and “everyone else,” pointing the gun at her, and at himself, saying he wanted “death by police.” He left the apartment with his keys and phone. She called a friend who, the report says, told her to leave the apartment and call 911. She apparently did not, but the friend did, reporting that the man had threatened his wife with a gun and might be seeking a “suicide by cop” situation. Police rushed to the area, found the man’s wife, and set up containment as well as calling for a negotiator.

Several responded, including the officer who wrote the report. He reported talking with the man’s wife and “obtained further background information on (him) that could assist negotiators in resolving this incident in a safe manner for all involved.” For those who wondered about the magnitude of the response, note that the officer wrote, “Due to the nature of the call, involving a suicidal subject with mental-health issues and with prior military-combat experience, SWAT was requested to respond to the scene,” and they decided to wait until SWAT arrived before trying to make contact with the man in the apartment. Meanwhile, they talked with his wife, who said she thought the gun was loaded, and that it had been modified to shoot single-action only.

The report added, “In an effort to resolve this incident in a safe manner, it involved a huge police response of 48 officers” – patrol officers from two watches in this area, officers from the South and East Precincts, hostage negotiators, SWAT, and the Arson/Bomb Squad.

Around 9:40 pm, the officer writing the report “rode in a SWAT armored vehicle” to outside the apartment building, where the man came out onto the balcony in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette. They noted he no longer had a gun taped to his hand. They started talking to him and “discussed a safety plan … gave him instructions on how to walk to his apartment door and meet with the officers waiting outside.” Within five minutes, he was in custody. The report says his wife gave consent for them to search the apartment, where they found the gun, unloaded, with what “appeared to be tape residue.” We don’t know his name, so we don’t know his current status.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Delridge gunfire appeared to ‘target’ house

January 12, 2016 4:25 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Ever since last week’s incident that led police to find 32 shell casings outside a house in the 5600 block of Delridge Way, we’ve been working to get the report, to see if it would include anything more on what happened or why. We finally obtained it today.

The report was written by the patrol officer who responded to what was described as five callers who “reported hearing 10 or more shots in the area” just before 1 am last Wednesday (January 6th). That included a caller who reported finding “eight bullet holes in her front and side windows.”

At that residence, the officer wrote:

The glass storm door that faces west was shattered and there was a bullet hole in the front door. The front yard on the west side of the house was littered with shell casings and there appeared to be multiple bullet holes in the north side of the house. Twenty-seven 7.62 shell casings were located in the front/west yard and driveway, along with five 9 mm shell casings and one unfired 9 mm round. The casings were strewn about the front/west yard and driveway. It appeared the shooter or shooters stood in the yard and the driveway and targeted the house. 13 holes were located in the house, including a shattered window frame in the north side of the house. Two spent rounds that appeared to have hit the yard and bounced into the cement foundation of the house were located on the ground on the west side of the house.

The resident told police she was asleep when she heard the shots, “jumped out of bed and pulled her mother out of her chair and onto the floor.” Another resident slept through it. As previously reported, no one was hurt; a witness reported that “he heard the shots, then saw 4 subjects run southbound on 23rd SW from SW Findlay and get into a dark-colored vehicle and left in an unknown direction.” (There is no description of the “subjects” nor anything more about the vehicle.) Police speculated a nearby alley might have been used as an escape route.

We have followups in the works on other recent incidents, too, but are writing them up separately. If you have concerns about this or any other neighborhood crime issues, by the way, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s next meeting – with local police in attendance as always – is one week from tonight, Tuesday, January 19th, 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct, Delridge Way SW and SW Webster.

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Lafayette Elementary community mourns student’s mom, victim of Everett espresso-stand fire

January 12, 2016 2:53 pm

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| How to help | West Seattle news

(Everett Fire Department photo)

We’ve just learned today from Seattle Public Schools that the woman killed in an Everett espresso-stand fire was the mother of a student at West Seattle’s Lafayette Elementary School.

SPS says Lafayette’s principal Robert Gallagher and acting assistant principal Kathy Jolly are sending a note to the school community:

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the tragic news that a Lafayette parent died yesterday after a recent and sudden accident.

As a community, we will come together to support the student and family. We will continue to have counselors and mental health support available for students, staff and families, as needed.

When someone dies, it is normal for children to have different kinds of feelings and reactions. Parents and guardians have important roles in helping students understand these tragedies. We understand that each culture has its own way of dealing with death, and we encourage children to talk with their families about their ideas, thoughts and beliefs. We recognize that even if your student may not have known or been close to this family, he/she may still feel a strong reaction. We also realize this may be your child’s first experience with death or it may trigger feelings about other deaths your child may have experienced.

The family will be in our thoughts as they grieve their loss. As we learn of more ways to support them, we will let the school community know. Please note that we are honoring the family’s request for privacy at this time.

The victim has been identified in regional media, including The Seattle Times, as Courtney Campbell. She was badly burned when her Everett espresso stand went up in flames – complicated by a propane-tank explosion – on Thursday, and then came news yesterday that she had died. She was mother of two daughters, including the Lafayette student, and her family has set up a GoFundMe account.

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UPDATE: Caspar Babypants canceled, performer ailing

January 12, 2016 2:02 pm

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| How to help | West Seattle news

THURSDAY UPDATE: Organizers say the concert is canceled and they’re refunding advance ticket sales – CB is ill.

ORIGINAL STORY:
Just got word of a concert that will liven up this Saturday morning for hundreds of local families – Caspar Babypants is performing at the Brockey Center on the south side of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. It’s a fundraiser for the SSC Cooperative Preschools’ Mary E. Philips Scholarship Fund – organizers say, “It’s a super-fun time for a great cause. Come dance with your kids and help keep co-op preschool available and affordable for all families.” 10:30 am Saturday (January 16th), 45-minute show, admission $7 (kids under 1 year old are free). WSB photo, 2014

P.S. Tickets will be sold at the door – or you can get yours online now, here.

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Highway 99 tunneling project: Machine’s OK but barge isn’t

January 12, 2016 11:41 am

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| West Seattle news

11:41 AM: Just in from WSDOT regarding something that’s stopped down the tunneling machine even though the machine itself is OK:

One of the barges Seattle Tunnel Partners is using to haul away excavated material began to list or lean to one side as STP crews loaded it early Tuesday.

To prevent damage to the conveyor system, STP released the barge from its moorage at Terminal 46. Some excavated clean soils were spilled into Elliott Bay. The barge then drifted into nearby Pier 48, which is owned by WSDOT and slated for demolition.

The barge has since been moved to the west end of Terminal 46. STP crews are working to transfer the material on the barge to another barge. STP is inspecting Terminal 46 and Pier 48 to determine if any damage occurred.

Tunnel excavation is temporarily on hold as STP addresses this issue. We’ll provide additional updates as we receive new information.

ADDED 5:13 PM: Update from WSDOT:

STP divers and marine surveyors continue to inspect damage at Terminal 46. Crews are assessing what needs to be done to safely stage a barge at Terminal 46 for loading.

STP is using a barge-mounted clamshell to transfer material from the damaged barge to another barge.

STP anticipates resuming tunneling and disposal of excavated materials after a third barge returns to the site from unloading excavated material at CalPortland’s Mats Mats reclamation facility in Port Ludlow. They must also confirm that a barge can be safely staged at Terminal 46.

As of Tuesday morning, STP had mined more than 190 feet and installed 30 concrete tunnel rings since Bertha first moved forward in the pit on Dec. 22. This brings the total distance tunneled to 1,280 feet and a total of 188 concrete rings.

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West Seattle real estate: Elan 41 apartment complex up for sale

January 12, 2016 10:40 am

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| West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The recently renovated apartment complex over Jefferson Square, now known as Elan 41, has just gone on the market. The listing price: $24.5 million. Property records show the 78-unit complex last changed hands for a higher price, $27 million, in 2005. In 2009, we reported on an agreement for Seattle Public Schools – which owns the land on which Jefferson Square, and everything above it, is built – to sell the apartments’ “air rights” – we’re checking to see if that deal was ever completed. (WSB file photo)

P.S. One of the flyers accompanying the Elan 41 listing reveals a recent sale along Avalon – which in turn explains the building’s name change; we’d noticed recently that Vue at 3261 Avalon Way had become Marq. County records don’t show a sale yet, but the flyer from Elan 41 listing agent McQuaid Real Estate says the 111-unit building completed in 2014 sold last month for $38.5 million.

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What’s happening for the rest of your West Seattle Tuesday

January 12, 2016 9:10 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(OUR CALENDAR SPONSOR IS MEEPLES GAMES

Our regular calendar will be back when our overhauled site is up – meantime, our daily highlight lists continue, and here’s what’s happening today/tonight:

LIBRARY STORY TIMES: Baby Story Time at Southwest Library, 10:30 am (35th SW/SW Henderson); Toddler Story Time at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 10:30 am (2306 42nd SW); Family Story Time at Delridge Library, 7 pm (5401 Delridge Way SW)

LIVE MUSIC AT SALTY’S: Justin Kausal-Hayes performs at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)

PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30-8 pm at Hope Lutheran School. (42nd SW/SW Oregon)

CHIEF SEALTH PTSA: 7 pm meeting, all welcome, in the Confucius Center at Chief Sealth International High School. (2600 SW Thistle)

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Choosing new leadership and looking at the future of the former interim Fire Station 29 site are two major agenda items, as previewed here. 7 pm, all welcome, The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd SW & SW Lander)

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: The FCA board meets at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 7 pm, all welcome. (9131 California SW)

And a look even further ahead:

WINTER’S HIGHEST TIDES, NEXT THREE DAYS: This will happen before our daily preview is published the next three days, so we’re mentioning it now – the highest high tides (“king tides”) of winter are happening the next three mornings, 12.9 feet – 7:35 am Wednesday, 8:14 am Thursday, 8:55 am Friday.

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