11:36 PM: In the past half-hour, we’ve heard by text and by comment from people who heard gunfire in the North Delridge vicinity. Via scanner, we’ve just heard confirmation that police found shell casings, near Delridge and Genesee. No injuries reported; they’re talking with someone at the scene who might have been involved.
11:53 PM: Still from the scanner – the person was reported by a passerby to have been seen “reloading”; he’s being taken into custody.
These happen so frequently, feels a bit like the police are being sent on wild goose chases considering there are no apparent targets.
In many cases, there are targets – though not necessarily targets for injury or worse – according to what precinct brass has said in briefings at recent local meetings – gunfire outside somebody’s house to send a message, for example. But it does sometimes seem imprecise to say the least – like the Puget Ridge house pierced by a bullet that narrowly missed a startled resident …
WSB, thank you for your response to HELPDELRIDGE dated May7, 2016. Perhaps Helpdelridge needs to experience a gunman firing a gun outside of his/her home, have the bullet discharged into their home and miss hitting them in the head by two inches. I happen to be that person on the evening of April 27th that was working in my home office when I heard gun shots outside on the street. Counting tonight’s incident (which I did not hear) that would be about nine times in about a year that random gunfire has taken place. It is a sobering experience to realize how very close I came to taking a bullet to the head as the result of some nut case firing a gun out on the street. The flood of emotions that overwhelms me, with anger being one of the strongest emotions I have knowing that someone I don’t even know could and would have carelessly taken my life just because they are out having fun. This is beyond my scope of understanding and thank goodness for that lack of understanding, because I did comprehend with the gunman that would make me as stupid as careless, and as irresponsible as them. For HELPDELRIDGE to say that the police are out chasing geese because there are no targets for the gunmen is at best cavalier in attitude and at least as irresponsible as the gunman. For those not serious about the random gun shooting, you need to know that people are on the move out of this community because of this situation. I know the Seattle Police are doing their best to find out who the crazy and irresponsible people are discharging their weapons that will ultimately take an innocent life. As long as people in this community have a nonchalant attitude regarding random shootings you are not helping yourself, your neighbor, and you are enabling dangerous people with firearms. If you want a safe community to live in you have to be responsible for establishing that by not allowing irresponsible people to impose a sense of fear in their reckless pursuit of fun. Like I said earlier, their fun will cost some innocent person to get killed.
You were an innocent victim of the out-of-control gang problem that is plaguing Seattle/KingCounty. Seattle/KingCounty leaders need to protect innocent victims from the criminals. The question is are Seattle/KingCounty’s leaders taking the gangs/illegal guns problem seriously. SPD does a phenomenal job but their hands are tied by DOJ policies.
I’m so happy you were not injured. I know that the emotional stress must still get to you.
Definitely heard at least six gunshots. Glad no injuries were reported, but it’s scary not knowing who was involved or why this happened.
North Delridge Neighborhood Council meets this Monday, btw. 6:30 pm, Youngstown.
It’s the one neighborhood council we haven’t been able to get to in person for a while so I don’t know if they have police regularly in attendance but the meeting notice I’ve linked says they need a new safety chair …
This may not be the place for a discussion like this, but what does the Safety Chair do? Definitely don’t want to contribute to our neighborhood calling the police every time they see a POC minding their own business.
Maybe I should just go to the meeting…
@ ON 25th. I don’t really understand your comment. I’m assuming your use of POC = people of color. If a person is minding their own business, then why would you call the cops on them? For example, for this particular incident, we do not know what race the person who committed this crime is. Are you making assumptions?
I live in Westwood and have called the cops multiple times on suspicious people and the majority of those people have been white. When profiling people, it is best to profile their behavior, not start with skin tone.
I read ON 25TH’s statement as, he or she does NOT want to contribute to the neighborhood calling the police every time there is a person of color minding their own business. In fact, those are the words they used.
Yeah, that’s obvious Mercy. It’s not about the words used, but the implication of those words.
Our Safety Chair is primarily responsible for attending the monthly Southwest Precinct Council meeting and reporting back to us, as well as being out liaison to the Community Policing Team. Our recent rep has had work in Tacoma taking up more and more of his time, so we’re sad to see him go and need to find a willing replacement. SPD comes by on an irregular basis, but I’ll see if we can get someone there on Monday night, although I’m not sure if they would have anything to report publicly so quickly after the incident.
Tony, I agree 100%. The police responding to gunfire is certainly not a wild goose chase. This definitely needs to be stopped before an innocent person is injured or killed. We as a society cannot become desensitized to this kind of dangerous absurdity merely on the basis that if it happens more frequently it then becomes a “norm” and is seen as not as big of a deal as it really is. And someone running around West Seattle shooting off their guns at either “targets” or randomly is certainly a huge deal. Three POS need to be taken off the street!
Also considering that a person was arrested last night in connection with this shooting, I’d hardly call that a wild goose chase.
The number of shootings here in WS is very disturbing, hopefully our attitudes towards these shootings won’t become equally disturbing.
FYI — Unfortunately many innocents across the USA have been killed and injured by gang shootings. State and city leaders across the USA need plan to clean up gangs. Do not vote for any candidate that doesn’t address the crime, gangs, and illegal guns problems in Seattle/KingCounty. Current leaders are not doing a good job for the citizens of Seattle/KingCounty.
I apologize to all for the lack of clairity, concern and understanding in the comment and yes these are serious crimes. A Crime is being committed and there are victims but the wild goose chase is a ploy used in gang activity. You start a fire in one part of a neighborhood to distract from the other side of the neighborhood. With the limited resources the police have, knowing that they are limited report after report, and the 5 shootings i ve heard that turn up having no intentional targets or suspects in custody, I just beg the question why are these happening. I suspect gang involvement and I am guessing at why they are doing this.
Please know my heart goes out to you who are victims of gun violence and that we shouldn’t have this happen in Seattle at all.
WSB, thanks. We’re reaching out to the precinct to see if we can get someone to come by. They’ve been good about trying to get there when they don’t have other pressing cases.
the gang/gun problem is out of control. put cameras everywhere, profile more police presence, do it all.
I feel like there have been a lot of shootings this past year or two. Does anyone know if in West Seattle, statistically, if there are more shootings now – than say the past 5 or 10 years?
I kind of miss Assistant Chief Wilske (he was a good Captain of the Southwest Precinct). I don’t know enough about Captain Davis to comment either way. I do know we’re in dire need of more police officers, citywide.
No. Crime isn’t particularly up more across the last few years than before, although there can obviously be short-term swings. And much of the time, the police are actually tracking what’s happening.
We have a police station essentially in the neighborhood, yet the Arco across the street is covered in gang tags and there are constantly shootings. Does this precinct only patrol in the Junction or something? The police presence seems to be lacking considering the number of incidents in the area.
Maybe the request for more patrols has been heard ? A police officer drove down our street yesterday afternoon. Then again this afternoon around lunch time, i saw 2 police cars going south on 21st right near Dawson.
We should have the report narrative on this soon (and a few other recent incidents). For starters, the guy who was arrested is being investigated for drug charges as well as firearms charges. – TR
Sorry, comment time is over.
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