UPDATE: SWAT callout in Morgan Junction after gunshot reported in apartment building

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

10:03 AM: Thanks for the tips about a big police response at Cal-Mor Circle in the 6400 block of California SW. Officers responded to a report of a gunshot in the building. No reports about any victim(s) so far. But SPD confirms SWAT is being called out. We are at the scene and working to find out more.

10:16 AM: Some of the building’s residents have been evacuated. Also, police are closing off the California/Fauntleroy intersection.

10:29 AM: Avoid the area – California is blocked off between Holly and Graham, Fauntleroy about one block each side of California, and the side streets you’ll be detoured onto are mostly one lane because of parking on both sides.

By the way, if you’re seeing/hearing the helicopter, it’s TV, not law enforcement.

10:42 AM: To be clear (in response to questions in comments), there is no one “on the loose” or being sought here. Police have confirmed that the person they are focused on, who they believe fired a shot, and who they’ve apparently had contact with before, is in his apartment. Again, please stay away from California/Fauntleroy because police have it blocked off until this is resolved.

10:57 AM: The person is in custody. The roads will be reopened shortly. No injuries reported.

11:18 AM: Bus reroutes (128, C Line) also lifted. We’re still at the scene waiting to ask police a few more questions.

11:23 AM: The person who was taken into custody will be taken to Harborview Medical Center to be evaluated. Meantime, the building’s residents are being allowed back into their apartments. We don’t know yet if a gun was found.

1:44 PM: We just checked back with SPD. So far, no gun or related evidence found, but the incident “remains under investigation.” (Also, we’ve added a few more of our photos from this morning.)

JLS June 13, 2016 (10:38 am)

Thanks, WSB, for letting us know what is going on! Heard the cavalcade of sirens earlier and have had helicopters overhead at 37th and Juneau.

WSMom June 13, 2016 (10:39 am)

Are the schools on lockdown?

Keri June 13, 2016 (10:39 am)

Any concern for schools in the area?

WSB June 13, 2016 (10:42 am)

The only school anywhere nearby is Gatewood, which is several blocks away, and the main concern here is line of sight from this building, which that school is NOT in. There is no one on the loose, being sought, etc., they’ve confirmed the person in question is in his apartment.

sue/morgan junction June 13, 2016 (10:43 am)

I’m wondering if this is the guy we’ve been hearing yelling at night the past couple of weeks. It was never close enough to know where it was coming from, but it has been quite disturbing to my family. I hope he’s OK, and able to get the help he needs. Be safe first responders.

Sea Chanty June 13, 2016 (11:00 am)

Sue…yes.

DF June 13, 2016 (10:52 am)

Fairmount Park Elementary is also several blocks away, but as of a few minutes ago I was told that the school had not been advised of any danger to address.

Sawyer Coe June 13, 2016 (10:53 am)

I’m under the west Seattle bridge, I saw a bomb squad truck pass by, lights flashing, headed into west Seattle. Related? 10:50

NJB27 June 13, 2016 (10:57 am)

Errr….I work nearby and just saw the bomb squad van drive by. Should we plan on evacuating, or is this a common precaution?

WSB June 13, 2016 (11:02 am)

Common – possibly to search the guy’s apartment. And: He’s in custody. No one hurt. Road closures are being lifted. – TR

Big Jer June 13, 2016 (11:06 am)

Have also heard the yelling from our home in Gatewood Gardens and have felt so concerned. So hard to pinpoint where exactly the person is. Feel at a loss, as to what we could possibly to do to help (if anything). It seems to have escalated over the last three weeks especially. Just a lot of angst, anger, and unrest…

Sincerely hope whomever it’s been who has experiencing this has some resources, or has been helped in some way…

RC June 13, 2016 (11:37 am)

Angst..love that word.

Fauntleroyfairy June 13, 2016 (11:46 am)

Check police reports. Apparently this guy has been threatening residents and the police have been there several times this week. Sad that it has to come to this before any action is taken. Thankfully no one was hurt.

sue/morgan junction June 13, 2016 (12:02 pm)

who says no action has been taken? Do you have access to the inner working of the mental health system, and this man’s file? It’s not easy to commit someone, nor should it be; and it’s not easy to hold someone for any length of time. Just saying – placing blame just seems in poor taste

Brian June 13, 2016 (12:51 pm)

Last night around 10pm we heard 7 or so gunshots. We live just west and a little south of that intersection. Police were notified.

WSB June 13, 2016 (1:00 pm)

Those were fireworks – we received a couple of e-mails about them, including someone who saw the fireworks in Upper Morgan. – TR

Fauntleroyfairy June 13, 2016 (1:59 pm)

Wow Sue, slow down! I found out that the police had been called and that the guy had been threatening the residents because I have a family member that lives there and was threatened by him while standing in the elevator. I have a VERY comprehensive understanding of the mental health system.

I stand by my comment. When serious threats are made and yet no action can legally be taken by the police, then that is indeed sad. The majority of those residents are wonderful people and should feel protected from this type of behavior. I’m not interested in a long drawn out bashing of everything that’s wrong with the system, but the city turns a blind eye to the many illegal things that go on there. These people matter and the people in Orlando mattered too. A guy makes threats, he is reported and yet nothing is done. Now 50 people are gone, so again, “Thankfully no one was hurt”.

clulessinws June 13, 2016 (2:40 pm)

Good reply.

BMC June 13, 2016 (3:11 pm)

I was in the parking lot at Super Supplements last Tuesday afternoon. I heard a man yell “open the FXXXING DOOR” in the direction of those apartments. It was very scary sounding and threatening.

Gene June 13, 2016 (3:32 pm)

Maybe a good reply- yet FF kind of makes it sound like someone/ some agency is at fault- when we don’t really know if that is the case.Hopefully this man today will get the help he needs- would think that firing a gun in the building would be a violation of some law- so that might be the start of help for him.

FYI- just listened to the owner of the gun shop in Florida where yesterday’s shooter bought his guns. He says they were bought about a week apart & both sales were done ” by the book” including a full background check.

Now maybe we can point our fingers at the FBI – that someone who they were aware of because he had made threats & had contact with 3 times could buy guns & the background check procedure did not flag him- but do we know for sure that” nothing was done”? Maybe everything they could have done to that point had been done.

Theres a bigger deeper conversation to be had here-with lawmakers especially- but please kind of tired of ” nothing was done” being thrown around so much- when it’s possible that everything that could have been done – within the law – was done- here & in Orlando.

WSB June 13, 2016 (3:41 pm)

As noted above, police had not reported finding a gun as of our last check a few hours after the incident ended. A gunshot was reported to have been *heard* but so far no evidence … We also asked the SHA rep on site if there were any rules in the building against having guns, and she said that if someone had a gun, legally purchased and owned, there was no rule against that. – TR

CD June 13, 2016 (5:38 pm)

Gatewood did decide to shelter in place for about 50 mins this morning after being alerted to the police activity nearby.

LW June 14, 2016 (12:44 pm)

I was en route from Courtesy Tire heading NE on CA Ave via Alaska, Fauntleroy and Avalon way and no less than 4 SWAT units plus numerous other law enforcement vehicles were racing South to this incident which I view as enormous overkill and a ridiculous waste of publicly funded resources. Kneejerk overreaction by law enforcement before the magnitude of the actual situation could be assessed.

WSB June 14, 2016 (1:04 pm)

How do you think they could/should have “assessed” a situation involving a man believed to be armed inside an apartment in a 72-unit building and with line of sight (he was on the south side of the building) to a supermarket, other businesses, and a busy intersection?

Erithan June 15, 2016 (2:52 am)

To add, with this building not overkill. If you knew the history of the place, lived there(I did, and it’s much worse now then ever), or knew people who had or are forced to still you’d understand why there was such a large response. I can’t go into detail without some not to friendly wording, and some PTSD….

real quick WSB, I’m pretty sure SHA has a law/rule on guns. Person who told police otherwise may not have known or sadly as it to often goes for most management there, they don’t care.(I know this first hand, and also that at least one manager I had to deal with, is still there).

WSB June 15, 2016 (6:31 am)

E – it wasn’t a person who told police otherwise, it was a person sent specifically to be an SHA spokesperson for media questions during/after the incident. Now that a couple days have elapsed I’m planning to follow up, with them and with police, so will re-ask anyway.