(UPDATED 8:43 PM with new information from police – scroll down)
We’re in the south Admiral District, where the call “shots fired” crackled across the scanner a short time ago, after police responded to a home in the 3400 block of 44th SW (map). WSB’s Christopher Boffoli has talked with police – the presence at the scene includes precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen. It appears to have been a call involving dogs and at least one dog has apparently been shot. No word of any people being injured. Police were talking to two people at the home, including a woman who was clearly distraught. We don’t know at this point what brought police to the house in the first place. This is breaking and we’re still working on details. SPD is sending a public-information officer to the scene. It’s the second time in less than 2 weeks that a dog has been shot in a call involving West Seattle police – the last one involved a pit bull in Fauntleroy on New Year’s Eve. We have not confirmed the breed of the shot dog but at least one of the dogs involved was described as a pitbull on scanner traffic that we heard.
2:57 PM: Yes, the helicopter is related to this incident – channel 7 chopper. Still awaiting police-briefing info.
3:03 PM: From Christopher Boffoli, one of two WSB newspeople at the briefing: Police got the call 1:17 pm as a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they heard a woman screaming inside the house. The door was unlocked and police went inside. The dogs charged officer, according to Det. Jeff Kappel, who says one dog was killed, one injured. A woman was taken into custody, suspected of misdemeanor domestic assault. Second dog is being treated. No confirmation on breeds. We’ll add video of the briefing once it’s processed.
3:47 PM: A few more details: Police believe the man and woman at the house are brother and sister. She was determined to be the “primary aggressor” in the disturbance – though neither she nor her brother was hurt – and that made it a “mandatory arrest” in terms of the original call, Det. Kappel says; she is to be booked into jail. He said after the “two large dogs” charged officers, one officer shot both. (briefing video in its entirety, added)
4:33 PM: Christopher took photos of the dog that survived, before it was taken to a clinic, and has just processed them. An animal-control officer arrived, and the dog was walking as it was taken away. But because you can see blood on its leg – the only sign that it was injured – we are putting the photo after a jump:
8:43 PM UPDATE: Police now say the dogs were “on top of the woman” (the suspect) when they first entered the home. From their newly posted SPDBlotter update:
… Officers made entry into the home through the unlocked front door and saw two dogs on top of a woman (who turned out to be the suspect). The officers observed blood on the mouths of the two dogs and blood on the clothing and hands of the woman on the ground. The woman was able to stand up and break free of the dogs at which time the dogs began attacking each other. Shortly thereafter the dogs charged at the officers. One of the officers shot both dogs, killing one and injuring the other.
Officers were able to get an adult male and adult female (who were the involved parties of the domestic disturbance) out of the house. Further investigation indicated that the female suspect had assaulted the male, her brother. Both of them reside in the home. No weapons were involved in the assault. The 59-year-old male victim was not injured and required no medical attention.
The 55-year-old female suspect was placed under arrest and subsequently booked into the King County Jail for misdemeanor Domestic Violence Assault.
Animal Control took custody of both dogs. The injured dog was taken to a local animal hospital. Detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.
Christopher Boffoli got to the scene quickly after the initial shots-fired radio broadcast. He says the added detail about the woman and the dogs was not mentioned at the scene at all; he adds, while noting he was not close-up with her, he didn’t observe blood on the woman by the time she was cuffed. He has photos showing her face (which we won’t show until/unless she is charged) and this one from behind:
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