FOLLOWUP: Alki Avenue murder ‘could have happened anywhere,’ police say

(June 2nd WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)

Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis offered an update on the June 2nd Alki Avenue murder toward the end of tonight’s precinct meeting about beach noise enforcement (separate report to come). “This was an altercation between two individuals and their conflict resolution … slipped to the point where it got physical,” and a deadly stabbing resulted. “It could have happened anywhere,” he stressed, adding that SPD emphasis teams were in the beach area and got there quickly, though not quickly enough for an arrest. Detectives continue working the case. The victim, 22-year-old Jonathan C. Pecina, was remembered at a memorial service in Everett last Friday.

31 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Alki Avenue murder 'could have happened anywhere,' police say"

  • Mmarie June 13, 2018 (7:26 am)

    Really… This is the best SPD has to say about this murder on Alki? Not reassuring or empathetic.

    • Brenda June 13, 2018 (10:01 am)

      Why would the police be empathetic to gang violence?

      • One Man Gang June 13, 2018 (10:59 pm)

        Did you see the word “gang”? Quote from officer said “two individuals” and it resulted in a stabbing. No evidence or likelihood of game behavior, I unless you’re talking Sharks & Jets.

    • Al Kier June 14, 2018 (1:26 pm)

      Why are you so hostile to the hard working ladies and gentlemen of our esteemed SPD? 

  • Gene June 13, 2018 (7:49 am)

    Really…I for one am grateful SPD was close enough to attempt CPR- unfortunately the victim passed away- but they sure tried their best to  keep that from happening. Not to mention that in the last moments of his life – he wasn’t alone & knew someone was trying to help him( at least I hope he knew that). SPD just can’t win- either there  aren’t  enough of them- or they aren’t empathetic or reassuring enough.

  • Quora June 13, 2018 (8:24 am)

    LOLZ. Some reassuring words there from Mr. Davis. Not sure I agree with what he said, however. This didn’t happen “anywhere”; it happened on Alki where it doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to understand that gang members regularly frequent the area during the summer months, often resulting in violent altercations. I’m sorry, what about the unsolved murder that took place last summer on Alki. Could that have happened anywhere, too?Funny that all of these murders that “could have happened anywhere” keep happening in the same place. But let’s stick to the plan; business as usual. Nothing to see here, folks.

  • Todd Jackson June 13, 2018 (10:14 am)

    We deserve a much better leader at the Southwest Precinct.  Former-Chief Wilske made himself a welcome, genuine force known in the community.  And he was rewarded for it by being promoted to 4th in Command of the whole SPD.I’m not impressed by Captain Davis at all.  Frankly I’m surprised he hasn’t been demoted.”This could have happened anywhere!”,  no, it couldn’t have.  It happened on Alki where Captain Davis has depoliced and fostered a dangerous environment rife with property crimes, and seasonal assaults/homicide.

    • Reap June 15, 2018 (2:59 am)

       Can you give us three examples of how Captain Davis has depoliced?   And please provide just TWO that he has encouraged, promoted , stimulated, enriched, cultivated , forwarded or nurtured a “dangerous environment “?FYI those are words synonymous with “FOSTER”And can  you give ONE reason why this could not have happened “anywhere”?Oh, that’s right,  that one reason is Captain Davis. I’m sure if Wilske humbled himself and returned to rule over the southwest kingdom again all the criminal dragons would once again disappear ……

  • Curiousity June 13, 2018 (10:30 am)

    I was wondering about  the victim being from Everett.  That’s not a short drive away.  I wonder how common it is for teenagers to drive from considerable distances to congregate at Alki.  If so, why?  Is it because they know they can get away with partying there?  Is it just the best spot for a hangout? To meet people?  Is it an area of important “turf”?   The lovely view?  I was a teenager not THAT long ago, and it strikes me as just a bit odd that you would travel that far for a casual hangout.   What’s the draw, and if you can understand this is there a way to make it safer there based on that – is it actually a draw for gang activity vs. just teenagers needing a place to hang out?  Is it because of activity allowed there – bonfires, parties, smoking, whatever – that makes it a regional draw that creates these large crowds?  Thinking out loud here.

    • hj June 13, 2018 (11:41 am)

      This isn’t a hard question– people like beaches. And in an area that is notably short on sandy beaches, Alki is the only classic beach area in the region with a commercial strip. All the other beaches are more like parks; Alki is the only place where you can grab fish & chips just by walking across the street. And Everett isn’t that far away, people in LA will routinely drive an hour or more to get to their beaches. 

    • Sandal45 June 13, 2018 (11:54 am)

      Alki has been a destination spot in the summer FOREVER. Cruising, tanning, playing, skating, long boarding, eating, socializing, beach combing unfortunately….. not everyone does this sober or friendly  Everybody loves the beach!!  West Seattle gets the beach back mid to late September 

    • T June 16, 2018 (7:38 pm)

      It’s popular because it’s free. The good news is anyone can go. The bad news is anyone can go.

  • newnative June 13, 2018 (11:33 am)

    Where does it state that this murder was gang-related? I have not seen that established. Curiousity, what does this have to with teenagers?  

    • Nolan June 13, 2018 (3:40 pm)

      As far as I can tell, it mostly looks like some people letting their biases slip. Needless to say, not every interpersonal conflict is “gang related”.

      • newnative June 13, 2018 (4:50 pm)

        Yep. I hate seeing how people start rumors and then don’t answer for themselves. 

  • Question June 13, 2018 (11:40 am)

    For one, that wasn’t his whole statement.  Just a bit to try and reassure people who live nearby (god forbid).I don’t understand why everyone is saying it was gang-related.  SPD didn’t say the gang unit was involved in the blotter or anywhere else I’ve read about the case (they do add that detail when it’s being investigated as gang activity).  “Not random” doesn’t mean “gang-related”.  It means “not random.”

    • CatLady June 13, 2018 (4:57 pm)

      “I don’t understand why everyone is saying it was gang related.” It’s because Seattle is actually a fairly racist place, and the guy who died was brown. I can pretty much guarantee that if he had been blonde and white, nobody would be blaming this on gang violence. 

  • zark00 June 13, 2018 (5:12 pm)

    Not saying this means he was in a gang, but the assumption may be from previous articles.  In one, police stated that he “was likely targeted” – that may have sounded like gang-related targeting to people.  Then a later article, also just talking about his being identified, said ‘He went by the street name Acer’.  That sounds gang-like to many I’m sure, it does to me to be honest.  Maybe street name is not synonymous with gang member, I don’t really have another context for ‘street name’ though. I can see myself jumping to the same conclusion based on the “street name” part alone.

    • WSB June 13, 2018 (6:11 pm)

      Was “street name Acer” an actual police quote in someone’s story? That nickname first emerged in a comment on the original story here (and I used it to find unverified ID on social media… different surname but definitely the same person) but I have never seen an actual police quote referring to his nickname. And if it’s just the phrase some writer used, without attribution, that’s pretty irresponsible – anybody could have a nickname and that doesn’t make it a “street name.”

  • TreeHouse June 13, 2018 (5:38 pm)

    Maybe if everyone on Alki was packing a gun it would be a much safer place? ….right? ….right??

  • Helpful June 13, 2018 (11:36 pm)

    People might assume it’s gang related because police had said victim was targeted- and targeting and killing young men is a frequent gang activity, that is fairly unusual for a non gang member.  Given the circumstances, I assumed it was gang thing, and I didn’t know anything about the ethnicity of either party.what does it mean when police say victim was targeted? Targeted sounds premeditated to me, as opposed to a spontaneous altercation. 

    • WSB June 14, 2018 (12:08 am)

      No, targeting is not unusual for a non-gang member. What police tend to mean is “non-random.” All of the murder cases we’ve had in the past year-plus were described as non-random.

  • Jeannie June 14, 2018 (12:31 am)

    I clicked on the memorial website and was especially touched by his childhood photos. He was a cute, happy little kid. We don’t know if the murder was gang-related (though it’s quite possible). Thing is, I happened to walk by the spot he was killed the other day. In addition to candles and flowers, there was lots of grafitti scrawled all over the sidewalk, written in large letters: “Rest in Peace… [the victim’s name was indecipherable, but it look an awful lot like a gang tag]. It might have just been a street name or nickname…who knows for sure?

  • waikikigirl June 14, 2018 (4:47 am)

    What does it matter (gang or not) it was a life that was taken from his family and friends he still had a life time to live and grow. Have you ever lost a loved one, especially a child (son/daughter) a child is not supposed to go before their parent and it is something you never forget……..

  • Al Kier June 14, 2018 (1:25 pm)

    The graffiti on the sidewalk in question is not “gang graffiti”.  It is highly stylized lettering that some individuals used in order to convey messages paying tribute to their slain friend.

  • WSB June 14, 2018 (1:57 pm)

    Reminder, one screen name per discussion. You’re welcome to post multiple comments in one discussion, if you have different responses, but stick to the screen name you started with. Thanks.

  • Formerly of LA June 15, 2018 (3:23 pm)

    I can tell you this, gangs have all kinds of people in them, white, black, latino, and Asian. Catlady, you can all kinds of things about how racist Seattle is, but I guarantee you, once you’ve experienced gang violence up front, you start to notice patterns…. and there’s nothing racist about knowing that if certain people show up, you need to vacate the premesis because some violence is about to go down. Having grown up in one of the most gang infested neighborhoods of Los Angeles, I can tell you that gangs often cruise in other turfs, whether they are just driving around and flagrantly bragging about being in their rival gang’s turf, or being part of a “tagger crew”, tagging some of the area as a scalp against a rival set. To the people that say Alki is ours, you are right. To the people that say Alki belongs to everyone, you too are correct. Getting the privilege of living in a free country, we cannot tell folks they cannot come hang out at our beautiful beach. But keep this in mind….. there are gangbangers among us. With a street name like “Acer”, if true…. there’s no doubt in my mind he was part of a crew. Especially if there was street tagging memorializing this kid.   Play stupid games…. win stupid prizes. Even if he was a “poser”, having a street name at all means you are trying to build up a rep for yourself. Think about it. 

  • Jessica June 26, 2018 (4:40 pm)

    I read there was an altercation first and the victim’s friends were swinging their belt at the suspect.With all these witnesses and other there around why is there no suspect description? Whether he was in a gang or not his murder should still get investigated not just dropped and ignored after it happened.

    • WSB June 26, 2018 (4:48 pm)

      Have never heard that. Link? Anyway, it remains an open case. Just because a description has not been made public doesn’t mean police don’t have one. Perhaps someone will ask police about this case at tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting.

Sorry, comment time is over.