UPDATE: Man shot at 15th and Roxbury

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

12:35 AM: If you’re seeing/hearing Guardian One in the White Center/Highland Park area – there’s a search under way related to a shooting reported at 15th and Roxbury.

12:41 AM: In medical communications between emergency personnel, the victim is described as a man around 40 years old who has been shot once in the leg. At least one armed suspect was reported to have fled eastbound along Roxbury. The victim is about to be taken to Harborview via Seattle Fire Medic 32.

1:43 AM: As we noted in comments, this is the third 15th/Roxbury shooting in less than a month, all involving someone getting shot in the leg. The ground search was still under way as of our quick check of the area a little while ago, with both SPD and KCSO involved. The 15th/Roxbury gas station/mini-mart appears to have been the scene, at least judging by the stringing of crime-scene tape (photo added above).

ADDED MONDAY MORNING: Summary and added info from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:

On Saturday morning just after midnight we responded to a shooting at the White Center Mini Mart at 1505 Roxbury.

When we arrived we found a 40 year old Seattle man on the east side of the building shot in the upper thigh. Witnesses said there may have been a verbal altercation between the victim and 3 males just prior to the shooting and it is believed one of the males shot the victim.

The 3 were last seen running from the scene and were described as:

#1. Black male, late teens to early 20’s, approximately 5’10”, stocky build, dark smooth skin, a 4”afro, last seen wearing a dark blue Adidas jogging suit jacket, dark colored jeans and white tennis shoes.

#2. Black male, late teens to early 20’s, approximately 5’10”, thin build, with a “short afro,” last seen wearing a black and white checkered flannel shirt that appeared to be insulated, dark blue jeans and red tennis shoes. He was also wearing green and yellow billed baseball cap.

#3. Black male, late teens to early 20’s, approximately 5’10”, thin build, “short afro,” last seen wearing a dark colored sweater, pinstriped grey or beige khaki’s and white tennis shoes.

The victim was taken to Harborview in serious condition.

M April 23, 2016 (12:38 am)

Thank you. This is the first place I looked when I heard Guardian One circling overhead. Hoping there will be an update soon.

Catherine April 23, 2016 (12:45 am)

Starting to feel like a war zone around here. Thank you to WSB for the info and Guardian for the assistance.

WSB April 23, 2016 (12:51 am)

This is the third shooting at 15th and Roxbury in less than a month – there was the one near Walgreens a week and a half ago, no arrests that I know of, and the one on the county side at the gas station mini-mart covered on our White Center site on March 31st – there *were* arrests in that one. I don’t know exactly where this happened, am going to go take a look but they’re searching with K-9 so I probably won’t be getting out of the car. – TR

Clayjustsayin April 23, 2016 (12:47 am)

Sounds like the leg shooter has struck again. Isn’t this the third time that has happened around there?

Mo April 23, 2016 (12:51 am)

Is there a description of the shooter who fled?

dp April 23, 2016 (12:59 am)

I’ve started coming here whenever I hear the guardian one above

Mark April 23, 2016 (1:22 am)

The ghetto bird is gone, so here’s to hoping they got them out of the neighborhood.

WSB April 23, 2016 (1:38 am)

Though G-1 moved on, I haven’t heard of arrests. Police and deputies are casting a pretty wide net on both sides of the line, though.

WSgirl April 23, 2016 (1:39 am)

Starting to feel like a war zone? I grew up in Shorewood; White Center and Highland Park have been the super ghetto for over 20 years. Nothing new, but thanks WSB for your relevant updates, at least these days we have some answers as to what’s going on up the street; when we were kids we just had to wait it out when we heard choppers and oftentimes never knew what was going on.

M.r April 23, 2016 (1:52 am)

I wonder if they blocked off Roxbury as I saw flashing lights down by the Safeway.

WSB April 23, 2016 (1:54 am)

No roads blocked, not even at the scene. But as I mentioned, they have officers out (“containment” is the term you’d hear on the scanner) across quite a wide area looking.

Catherine April 23, 2016 (6:38 am)

Thanks again WSB :)

AMD April 23, 2016 (7:27 am)

I know there is a lot to consider on the issue, but this is a big reason I’m hopeful White Center will be annexed to Seattle. It’s frustrating to feel like this political boundary is laying out the welcome mat for criminals who know the area doesn’t have the resources to have officers on patrol a lot of the time. Living close to White Center it feels like part of our neighborhood, but one that we can’t help do anything to help because they have a different police force than we do. I’m glad they caught one of the leg-shooters, but I can’t help but wonder if any of these incidents would have been avoided by just having a police presence there in the first place.

Lashanna April 23, 2016 (8:04 am)

something different is going on lately. There is a ton of gun violence. There is a 4 block area here in South Park that kids call the dead zone. We have gun fights a couple nights a week. Murders in the alley…. Unphased tweaker houses, tagging EVERYwhere. Over here I’m pretty sure it’s some rival gang action …. But within SPD here at night, patrolling — it’s not changing anytime soon 💜 Violence sucks

Gill April 23, 2016 (10:37 am)

I don’t want to get into an annexation “fight” here but would like to point out that no matter where you live there are never enough police officers/deputies to be everywhere all the time. We are the people that are everywhere all the time so report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood to 911 non emergency to help the authorities keep track of what is going on where you live or travel through. Not sure this would have helped in this shooting but…

DarkHawke April 23, 2016 (3:21 pm)

True dat, but the county sheriff deputies are spread more thinly than SPD. There’s even a precinct within two miles, so if White Center joined up, there could at least be more regular patrols through this problem area.

Alki Resident April 23, 2016 (10:42 am)

It seems clear to me that cameras need to be installed in trouble areas. I no longer even drive in Roxbury fearing bullets flying or having to witness something tragic. What will it take?

cil April 23, 2016 (11:49 am)

As someone who frequents south park regularly, I would love to know which 4 blocks are considered the “dead zone” stated by Lashanna above.

Bradley April 23, 2016 (2:28 pm)

There are only 3 areas of Seattle I refuse to go into at night: Rainier Beach, Pioneer Square, and 15th and Roxbury. I won’t even wait for the red light to change to green more than 10 seconds or so at this intersection after 10 or 11pm.

AJP April 23, 2016 (4:39 pm)

There were also shootings on Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square last night. Ugh.

AZ April 23, 2016 (6:43 pm)

Thanks to the WSB for keeping us all posted. The last few weeks has been crazy with sirens and helicopters in the middle of the night. It’s beginning to feel routine and definitely makes you feel more on edge, like some guy with a gun could be running from the police through your neighborhood. Hard to sleep when you’re imaging having to protect your family.

I have to admit (not wanting to get into an annexation fight either but) it seems like annexation could help as the the Roxbury line is such a hot spot. I’m wondering about the relationship between the meth forests and encampments down along 4th/Highland Park Way/509 ramp and the gun violence.

smokeycretin9 April 23, 2016 (6:52 pm)

as long as everything south of Roxbury is un-incorperated King County, the thugs and druggies will have control. They know where they are safe.

I live on 21st. I see drug deals, prostitutes, people passed out, selling what I can only guess is stolen items. I wont even walk down to Noble Barton from here.

This area has gone down too far to ever recover. I am sad because I have lived here for 10 years. It gets bad, they clean it up. It gets a little worse than before, then they clean it up. Then it gets a little worse and so the cycle continues.

Bradley April 23, 2016 (9:47 pm)

Believe it or not, it was much worse 25 years ago.
- Alan April 24, 2016 (9:53 am)
  
  I agree with you, Bradley. I have a lot of hope for White Center and see it in a major transition. There are so many good restaurants in the area now that parking can be a challenge. I’m not going to deny that walking through White Center can be “interesting”, but I rarely feel uncomfortable. It does feel more like being downtown than being in The Junction. In fact, it feels more like being in the International District, including the uncomfortable aspects as well as the good.
  
  At first, I was unsure about it being worse twenty-five years ago. I couldn’t remember the shootings, though I know there was gang activity. Then I remembered that we didn’t have WSB then and most of the crime activity there doesn’t show up at any other news source.

tm April 24, 2016 (8:25 am)

Annexing White Center is not going to fix anything. We have SPD in Delridge and the shootings continue. The people of White Center will have to become involved in their community and report/turn in the criminals. What White Center is going to get is our regressive tax structure. Welcome to Seattle…

Seattlite April 24, 2016 (11:48 am)

Agree with you TM. White Center will get the same treatment as King County if they are annexed. King County’s feckless leaders are not doing their jobs of protecting citizens by eliminating violent gang activity in King County. Law enforcement across the USA has been compromised by DOJ’s policies. Detroit, Camden, Chicago, Baltimore are just a few of the cities across the USA that are run by feckless leaders who allow violent gangs, killings…what will it take to eliminate violent gangs?
AMD April 24, 2016 (1:35 pm)

Not that it pertains to the issue at hand (violence), but White Center has a higher property tax rate than Seattle. By quite a bit.

Sorry, comment time is over.