UPDATE: Deadly shooting in White Center; helicopter search

(WSB photos)

10:53 PM: For everyone asking about the helicopter – a shooting is reported near 15th and Roxbury in White Center. King County Sheriff’s deputies have asked SPD to assist with the investigation. We are on the way to find out more.

10:58 PM UPDATE: KCSO says one man has been shot and is undergoing CPR.

11:11 PM UPDATE: Just arrived at the scene. 15th SW is taped off about a block south of Roxbury. SPD is here as well as KCSO, and Guardian One is still overhead.

11:15 PM UPDATE: A sergeant at the scene tells us the victim has died. No arrest reported so far.

8:44 AM: New information in from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West: The victim was a 27-year-old man from Burien: “Witnesses told police that a group of men were talking with the victim prior to the shooting. The suspect who was with the group of men fought with the victim. When the fight was over, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the victim. The men fled the scene on foot. King County Guardian One and K-9 responded but were unable to locate the suspect or the men he was with. The only description obtained was that the suspect was wearing a red hoodie.” They’re hoping for tips, 206-296-3311.

21 Replies to "UPDATE: Deadly shooting in White Center; helicopter search"

  • Roxburyresident November 10, 2017 (10:56 pm)

    Heard it and knew it was gunshots probably about 4-5 helicopter confirmed it lots of police right now seems serious 

  • Ryan Sales November 10, 2017 (11:08 pm)

    Live on SW Trenton between 14th & 15th. Police cars and helicopter circling. Can’t tell if chase is ongoing with neighbors and self at risk or not. 911 was not clear with answer. 

    • WSB November 10, 2017 (11:27 pm)

      We just went through the area en route back to HQ and didn’t see officers in your area – are you still seeing them?

  • ak November 10, 2017 (11:24 pm)

    KCSO air support twitter says there was a second shooting at 120th and 1st Ave s. Heli has been there for a long time, it’s loud!

    • WSB November 10, 2017 (11:35 pm)

      Yes, there was, but that’s out of our coverage area for WSB so we hadn’t mentioned it. The original report from KCSO said they didn’t know whether there was any connection. – TR

  • Alki Resident November 10, 2017 (11:36 pm)

    Second shooting death tonite. What’s going on?

    • WSB November 10, 2017 (11:55 pm)

      The other one was in Burien, and as noted in the tweet I linked in the comment above, early indication in the Burien shooting was that two men shot each other; one died, one was wounded in the leg. KCSO has not said anything about circumstances in this one yet. – TR

  • Jon November 10, 2017 (11:58 pm)

    The address provided by King County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t make sense to me.

    There is no “SW 96th St” which intersects with 15th Ave SW, right? SW 98th is near Taqueria la fondita and the next block – SW 100th St – is near Popeyes and Hung Long Market.

    So, where exactly did it take place?

    • WSB November 11, 2017 (12:13 am)

      The victim was on the ground outside White Center Plaza, across 15th from the north end of the Sea-Mar building. About half a block north of 98th. (Adding a closer-up photo of the area.)

  • Jissy November 11, 2017 (8:55 am)

    Wow, this stuff is just way too close to home these days — went out to dinner in downtown WC last night — was remarking to my husband how impressively busy and packed downtown was, standing room only in Beer Star with tons of families and we actually had to park on 17th , I mean it was just rockin’.    I know these are often isolated incidences but there’s always so many people out on the street in WC, could be lots of innocent bystanders hurt or killed.

    • Michael in Seattle November 12, 2017 (1:01 pm)

      I spend a lot of time in White Center and while they are doing a good job of cleaning up the main street, 15th Ave SW remains a hangout for drug dealers, prostitutes and gang members.  On any given weeknight, you will also encounter people selling stolen goods (generally from grocery stores) out of the back of their decrepit station wagon in the parking lot of the DSHS.  For the most part, the people there have no interest in you unless you want to buy drugs or stolen goods or are looking for a prostitute, but I wouldn’t walk through that area alone at night (and I’m a male and grew up in the ‘hood of Oakland…compared to Oakland, Seattle is child’s play).  You best bet to is to park on SW 17th street where none of that occurs and you should be fine.

  • ScubaFrog November 11, 2017 (3:22 pm)

    When you’re robbed, that feeling of being violated?  When a murder happens in my community, I feel infinitely violated.   RIP to the victim, how sad.  Another young man dead.  Another family with a hole in their heart and lives.  

    For some reason these awful losses of life always harken back to Gregette Guy for me.  While she’s gone, her case is never forgotten.  

    We have to find out a way to stop this violence, West Seattle.   I don’t know how.

  • ScubaFrog November 11, 2017 (3:33 pm)

    And RIP to the other young man in Burien.  

  • Orwell November 11, 2017 (4:35 pm)

    I just went through the White Center Walgreens Rx outside pick-up window .  The widow was cracked by a huge gunshot since yesterday.  It’s the second time that drive-through Rx has been shattered by gunshots.  Last night’s looks like a HUGE caliber.  Does anyone know if this is related to the shooting death a block away last night?  It’s scary. Thanks.

    • WSB November 11, 2017 (5:22 pm)

      All I can tell you is, we went past there on our way to the shooting scene last night and I didn’t see any police on that side of Roxbury. Also, the window faces away from the area where the shooting happened (and is a block-plus north).

  • Orwell November 11, 2017 (5:39 pm)

    Thank you, WSB.  Good points.  Alas,  this means yet another recent shooting.  Last time the window was shot there were two small holes that didn’t seem to penetrate fully.  This time the hole was elliptical measuring about 1.5″ x .75 ” and it went totally through with deep cracking throughout.  Horrible.   The employee was hesitant to speak about it.  Sorry if this question was off this topic.

  • nachobeaver November 11, 2017 (8:05 pm)

    I think gunshot @ walgreens happened like thursday around noon time!! as I was driving down 16th KC Sheriffs had it all taped off and pistol was laying on ground on 16th and being photographed for evidence but I didnt see any detainees??

  • Concerned November 12, 2017 (5:24 am)

    So I’ve noticed an uptick in what looks to be gang graffiti in north White Center and east of Westwood Village with the tag being  SSL 13 all over the place.  Getting tired of these POS wannabe gang bangers trying to emulate the “thug life”. 

    The problem is, the city ignores these types of problems until they become so big that they have no choice but to react to them.  This goes all the way from the homeless issue to the gang issue and this city is always in a reactionary state, because they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings and make them feel marginalized, so they try to ignore it until it can’t be ignored any longer. 

    Look at the Jack in the Box in the Rainier Valley. Their “solution” was just to make it a drive through only, because the gang violence and shootings that were occurring there on such a regular basis due to thugs hanging out in the parking lot and in the dining area. Jack in the Box couldn’t afford to keep replacing the glass and put its employees in constant danger. But that is not really a solution at all and is rather sad and I hope that will not be a trend, because the city leaders as a whole wants to  put their head in the sand and say everything is all right. 

    • ScubaFrog November 13, 2017 (9:31 am)

      I certainly agree that gang culture today consists of wannabes and posers.  Sadly those tend to be the most dangerous ones (and always have been), from the outside-looking-in.  Someone tries to prove himself/herself as ‘being bad’, and stabs or shoots someone.  In the late 80’s and early 90’s it felt like some of those kids had to pick a side, or they’d have been torn apart.  Today people willingly go into that lifestyle.

      I don’t know what happened with the 2 killings, if they were “gang”-related or otherwise.  The motive for the Alki murder was never released (it sounded like they sought him out specifically).  However the other homicides’ motives have been released:  Drug theft and ambush by ex-girlfriend (for whatever reason).  The young man in White Center was wearing red, although again we don’t know if that was a gang shooting.  

      I’m just shocked that we’ve seen so much bloodshed in a period of months.  These young men and women are so quick to find their answer in a trigger. I can’t abide by that or find any logic or reason in it.  I haven’t seen this brand of quick-succession homicide since the 1990’s.  

    • Ex-Westwood Resident November 13, 2017 (11:19 am)

      SSL 13 is the tag for “South Side Locos,” a Sureno’s gang.

      These aren’t “wannabes” or “posers,” if they are using the tag without the gangs knowledge, the gang would “take care” of them. 

      South Side Locos (SSL) is a predominately Hispanic gang that moved up from California in the early 1980s.

      • ScubaFrog November 13, 2017 (5:30 pm)

        I only know what the SPD says, and they don’t classify those guys as gangs.  That’s good enough for me, and I agree with their logic.

        I want to know why there’s not more attention to these killings.  I can assure you, if there were 5 homicides and the victims were upper-middle class white guys, the community and city would be in an outrage (the same’s true for Chicago and any part of America where non-white homicide occurs).  

        Maybe we should have a Gregette Guy day too.  So that we don’t forget her and other victims of homicide whose cases haven’t been solved.  

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