39 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Shooting victim has died"

• Dave January 23, 2012 (10:05 am)

  “Police have not commented yet on the circumstances…”

  I wish they would, that’s THE most important point of the story. If this was just an interpersonal conflict (drug deal gone bad, someone cheated with someones wife, fight that escalated, family issue, etc) then I’m not near as worried about my general ‘safety’, this was specifically just between these two people. What people worry about when someone like this happens is “could this happen to me”. If this was a random drive by shooting at a total stranger or something, THAT’s scary, but if this was just a personal conflict that got out of control, then it’s not NEAR as scary or important to me, but just a personal tragedy for the families involved. Context is EVERYTHING in a issue like this.

  • WSB January 23, 2012 (10:31 am)

    Dave – I have added to the story that prosecutors now confirm there’s a bail hearing this afternoon; the documentation they provide afterward almost invariably includes the authorities’ narrative of what they believe happened, based on witnesses and evidence available thus far. – TR

• msc January 23, 2012 (10:07 am)

  I am so very sorry this man died. He came here to live in a safer city, very sad.

  Providence needs to add “Nursing Home” on thier sign. I too thought is was a hospital the first 2 years I lived here.

• born, raised, & still in ws January 23, 2012 (10:13 am)

  So sad. Condolences to the friends and family of the victim.

• Morgan resident January 23, 2012 (10:13 am)

  What a tragedy for his family. There are just never any winners in these situations.

• monosyllabic girl January 23, 2012 (10:40 am)

  Msc I think that addition to their sign would be helpful. I also thought it was a hospital for a couple years after I first arrived. Would that knowledge have made a difference between life or death in the 5 or so minutes it took to drive versus waiting for aid? With four shots to the chest, I think probably not. Still, if another situation arises it’s possible.

• westcoaster January 23, 2012 (11:58 am)

  This is just a theory, so don’t bash me…

  This thing about the shovel and the side alley and the buddies having seen the suspect in the bar earlier leads me to believe that there were some “words” between the 2 men while in the bar and as they departed.

  Just goes to show you that alcohol, gun(s) and testosterone can be a deadly mix.

• WSNativeDimBulb January 23, 2012 (12:40 pm)

  Via KOMO’s website scanner , I listened to the the conversation between the Medic 1 supervisor (M44) & the trauma doctor, moments before they were going to transport the victim. He was hanging on by the slimmest of margins at that time, & it did not sound as if the victim was even going to survive the trip to Harborview, which was estimated at that time of night to be 7-10 minutes.
  Monosyllabic girl does raise a very interesting question however. We are a large peninsula, with a population of over 100,000 people, with no hospital and a single Medic unit.
  It does make one wonder what one’s chances of surviving a life-threatening emergency in West Seattle, especially during the commute, where there is no room to pull over for emergency vehicles on the WS freeway/bridge, even if one want’s to.

• Ron Angeles January 23, 2012 (1:04 pm)

  I’m am so sorry for the tragic event in West Seattle and my condolences to the victims of this act of violence. But when things of this nature happen, I think it’s best to call 9-1-1, wait for the trained Emergency Response personel to arrive, than to drive a person(s) to a hospital whether you think there is one there or not. From where this incident occurred (Cal. and Morgan), there are three fire stations (Alaska/Fauntleroy, 35th/Holden, and 16th/Holden)that are less than 5 mins. away. BTW, the nearest hospital emergency rooms are at the Highline Hospitals in Riverton Heights and in Burien, or across the bridge at Harborview. Whatever happened to the community discussion and need for an urgent care center and/or emergency room services in West Seattle? Anyway, this tragic event will not stop me from supporting two of my most favorite businesses in West Seattle..The Feedback Lounge and Beveridge Place Pub.

• Been There January 23, 2012 (2:05 pm)

  RIP Travis Hood.

• Kae January 23, 2012 (2:37 pm)

  Why has this story not been in the local news via tv, newspaper, or online? It’s a big deal, I would think the media would be all over this. Why is no one following or even mentioning this other than the WSB?

  • WSB January 23, 2012 (2:46 pm)

    Kae, we are the local online news, the most-read news publication in West Seattle and one of the most-read in the city (more than 120,000 readers a month), so at least there’s some exposure here. I can’t speak for the rest of the media. I am just out of court and the only other media there was a photographer for Channel 7. – TR

• Morgan resident January 23, 2012 (2:38 pm)

  From the time I heard the shots fired (~9:40)until the Fire units were dispatched to the Mount was about 11 min (9:51). The Seattle Medics work in a tight time window, 21 min. 7 to get there, 7 on scene, 7 to the Hospital. If the SFD can get a PT. to the ER in 21 min. then HMC can get them in an O.R. within another 40. They refer to it as the golden hour and it provides the best odds of survival. Calling 911 and alerting everyone gets a whole series of things in motion. Most importantly a surgery room ready at HMC.

  You will not be able to get somewhere as fast as a Medic unit can get to you. Simply because they have lights and sirens. In west Seattle few places are more than 4 min. away from the nearest Fire station. The Morgan Junction is less than 4 min from both of the nearest 2 Fire stations. One of which houses the West Seattle Medic unit.

  I remember reading that the man with the victim drove away in order to get away from the shooter. I can think of no better reason to load up a shooting victim and drive from the scene than to escape danger. Sounds like the only option he had was to escape.

• Kae January 23, 2012 (2:48 pm)

  Sorry, didn’t mean to negate the WSB as not local news, just wondered why I haven’t seen anything on tv. Thank you for all your work on this case to keep people informed.

  • WSB January 23, 2012 (2:52 pm)

    KING sent a photographer on Saturday night – there was a very short story with a little video in their Sunday morning news. Saturday night is generally the shortest-staffed time period in my former line of work, so that wasn’t surprising. Then the fact that the victim’s death wasn’t confirmed until this morning meant it wasn’t on other media’s radar as a homicide case.

• Ben Dover January 23, 2012 (3:06 pm)

  Kae, with around 100,000 people in southwest Seattle, West Seattle is and has been largely ignored by main stream media for reasons none of us can fathom. It’s why WSB is here. Way back when, they said themselves, people are blogging in WS but not about WS. WSB has filled the void effectlvely since at least 2005.

• Mike January 23, 2012 (3:16 pm)

  Tragic news, but I won’t have any fear shopping, eating, and drinking in my neighborhood because of some random 67-year old nutcase with a gun.

• sam-c January 23, 2012 (3:16 pm)

  Kae- as far as tv goes, we were watching the news, planning to stay awake to watch SNL. the tv news pre-empted one of their other stories with “breaking news” of this. the details I caught were ‘shooting in West Seattle…victim at mt. st vincent…’ we tuned into WSB to get the full story the next morning.

• SB January 23, 2012 (3:21 pm)

  We heard the gun shots. We are neighbors, a family with small children, who live in this area. This stretch of California Ave. is often frought with unsavory types that like to hang out in the alley behind the Short Stop convenience store, drink, drug,litter profusily, vandalize, fight and use profanity in a very loud manner. We live just behind this area and hear & see it everyday. My kids are afraid to play in our fenced backyard because of “the people in the alley”. The Morgan Junction park is such a lovely park, yet we are saddened to find it is not very family friendly with an often bad element hanging out there or living in the yellow van that is always parked there. Repeated complaints to the police have not yielded much help. I know they have more important emergencies to deal with, but the occasional drive by may help. I am sure the local businesses (Feedback, Beveridge Place, etc.) and families walking to Zeeks, Starbucks or Thriftway would agree. Not sure who the people were who were involved in the shooting, but we are scared and feel terrible that such a violent crime happened basically in our back yard. But sadly, we are not that suprised.

• HPK January 23, 2012 (4:01 pm)

  Mike! Here Here! :)

• West Seattle January 23, 2012 (4:05 pm)

  ” drink, drug,litter profusily, vandalize, fight and use profanity in a very loud manner.”

  I believe they are members of a ‘vulnerable community’ so must be treated with kid gloves, especially by the SPD.

• April January 23, 2012 (4:37 pm)

  I was walking home from Feedback Lounge last night around 9pm and I was the only one walking in the area that I could see. SPD did drive by in the short distance I had to go, and even slowed down as they drove by me making it clear that they were in fact paying attention to the surroundings.

• NotMe January 23, 2012 (4:49 pm)

  Where *exactly* are you looking at and seeing such things? I am with Mike… I will not become afraid to walk ANYWHERE in West Seattle. Life is not lived if you are huddled in your house too afraid to leave.
  .
  Oh, and I see SPD drive throughout the area all the time. Stop trying to point fingers. A bad person did a horrible thing. We all hate when it happens, but it isn’t helping when you start trying to blame anyone or anything else.

• todd_ January 23, 2012 (4:50 pm)

  Nicely said SB. I’ve always wondered why @holes hang out in parks. Because it’s free? Is it too much to ask that a family in the city should be able to use a park in their neighborhood without having to deal with people breaking the law as you have observed, and others have witnessed, as described in the other thread on this terrible crime? This town needs an enema.

• snowball January 23, 2012 (6:20 pm)

  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017316089_shooting24m.html?syndication=rss

• Ace20604 January 23, 2012 (7:36 pm)

  Don’t know that it would have made a difference in this case however. The alley adjacent to the park has been hot spot of troubles. Over the past 20 or so years, really bad in mid 90’s, there have been overdoses, needles, glass roses, an abandon body.
  With all the wonderful work done by the rest of the neighborhood only vastly improved. It would be nice to come to solution for such a small bit of West Seattle

• Vuppe January 23, 2012 (8:19 pm)

  @Ron – Re: ‘the nearest hospital emergency rooms are at the Highline Hospitals in Riverton Heights and in Burien’. Effective December 20 2011, the Highline ER at Riverton Heights is closed. An unaffiliated walk-in clinic will open beginning of February and occupy the same space. NOT an ER. I am sure notices will go out to the community shortly.

  Re: ‘Whatever happened to the community discussion and need for an urgent care center and/or emergency room services in West Seattle?’
  Check out http://www.highlinemedicalcenter.org/urgent-care/Default.htm

  Great, but not so good for us in WS after 9pm weeknights/5pm weekends.

• Interrobang January 23, 2012 (9:06 pm)

  Condolences to all of his loved one — this is so tragic!

  @Vuppe — notices were already send out to people who had previously gone to Highline SC (riverton) ER, but the signage is still posted outside of the hospital.

  It’s my understanding that the old ER at Riverton will be an urgent care clinic — but not run by Highline Medical Center.

• Aman January 23, 2012 (10:01 pm)

  Wrong place…Wrong time for BOTH. How sad for everyone and their families.

• Will January 23, 2012 (10:47 pm)

  In my alley near by, there are always scary looking people hanging out. I’m a woman with a baby, and often I don’t feel safe out there. I see drug deals in the middle of the day. I feel it is turning into a bad neighborhood. And I saw about 6 homeless looking people drinking in that park today. As I do every time I walk by. I never see cops there, nor do they drive through my alley. I would love it if they did once in a while.

• Silver Interweb Surfer January 23, 2012 (10:59 pm)

  All gun laws do is take the guns away from honest people. Bad guys will always have guns.

• Barbara January 24, 2012 (1:20 pm)

  This has nothing to do with the shooting because that was out on California Ave. But since complaints about the Short Stop alley between 44th & CA are coming up: How can we organize a WS neighborhood cleanup dedicated to the alley behind Short Stop? Is the Morgan Junction neighborhood group still active? If it’s made unattractive to people who want to hide their behavior by making east side of the alley open to view (avoiding west side property lines where blackberry bushes actually provide eco-fencing), removing chairs, mattresses, tires, needles & condoms that signal too much shelter from public view, and BTW who owns that area? If necessary, apply pressure to owner (the city, a utility, the county, private?) to get funding for cleanup. Forget the economy excuse. I mean, really! Why not!

  • WSB January 24, 2012 (1:59 pm)

    Bar – Funny you should ask. The Morgan Community Association meets tomorrow night, a week delayed because of the snow. 7 pm, The Kenney. I don’t know if this is formally on the agenda but somehow I can’t imagine it won’t be discussed. – TR

• Dee January 24, 2012 (5:34 pm)

  What a senseless loss. How does a convicted felon continue to walk the streets and kill an innocent man. Travis was trying to get his life together and was gunned down by someone who didnt even know him. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. May he rest in peace and may justice be served.

• Dee January 24, 2012 (6:02 pm)

  The police need to keep Travis family informed of all details. Its hard enough on his mother getting a phone call informing her that he didn’t make it through the surgery. What an absolute tragedy. I still can’t believe it. His mother has had enough tragedy in her life. Her first son was killed delivering pizza second son killed in a car accident and now Travis was killed by a 67 year old lunatic who shouldn’t have been on the streets to start with. May all of her children rest in peace. I only pray that our justice system will throw this lunatic under the jail.

• amused January 25, 2012 (6:45 am)

  Does anybody remember what the Feedback used to be in the late 70’s? Was it the Whitehorse Tavern? Need some historical facts please

• D.M, January 25, 2012 (11:31 pm)

  Feedback lounge building was Digby”s tavern in the 70″s

• Dee January 26, 2012 (2:21 pm)

  Has anyone seen an update on this shooting? What is happening with the suspect? In my opinion, even jail is too good for this jerk.

• WSB January 26, 2012 (2:25 pm)

  Hi – Yes, we’ve had two stories since this. Most recently, the fact he was charged yesterday with first-degree murder:
  .
  https://westseattleblog.com/2012/01/morgan-junction-shooting-suspect-charged-with

Sorry, comment time is over.