UPDATE: Police search after 1 person shot in South Delridge

6:48 PM: SPD and SFD are heading to the 8600 block of 18th SW for a reported shooting. More to come.

6:55 PM: At least one person’s been shot. Police are searching with K9 and the Guardian One helicopter – but no one is reported in custody. The shooting is now reported to have happened in an alley west of 18th/Thistle.

7:05 PM: The victim is female, we’ve learned at the scene, and is being taken to Harborview Medical Center.

7:11 PM: We’ve also learned at the scene that the victim is 19 years old. An area resident says the first they heard of this was a group of young people on the run, yelling that someone had been shot.

7:18 PM: SPD says the victim’s injury is not life-threatening. Gang Unit detectives have joined the officers investigating.

8:05 PM: No further updates, nor word of anyone in custody. Our crew’s back and we’ve added two photos above.

ADDED SATURDAY: Here’s what SPD Blotter has today. Not much beyond what we reported last night:

Gang Unit detectives are handling the investigation following a shooting that occurred Friday evening in the South Delridge neighborhood. The victim, a 19-year-old female, was transported to the hospital with a non life-threatening gunshot wound.

At approximately 6:40 pm, Southwest Precinct officers were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 8600 block of 18th Avenue SW. Officers arrived and located the female victim. Officers performed first aid until Seattle Fire took over primary care and transported the victim to the hospital. Fortunately her injuries are not life-threatening.

Officers learned from witnesses that the victim was with a group of other people in the alley just west of 18th Avenue SW and SW Thistle Street. The witnesses stated that an unknown male who was with another group fired a shot toward the victim and her group, striking her.

Officers searched the area for the suspect, including the King County Sheriff’s helicopter Guardian One and an SPD K-9 team, but the suspect or people he was with was not located. Gang detectives responded and will conduct the follow up.

31 Replies to "UPDATE: Police search after 1 person shot in South Delridge"

  • C November 8, 2019 (6:54 pm)

    We’re a block away–heard 3 shots and a woman yelling “he hit me!” Sirens are still going everywhere. Sounds like they have Guardian 1 up now.

  • sol November 8, 2019 (6:56 pm)

    Multiple squad cars headed south on Delridge, along with a helicopter, at 6:53pm.

  • C November 8, 2019 (7:02 pm)

    My kids say there is a helicopter circling the football game at SWAC

    • WSB November 8, 2019 (7:09 pm)

      Guardian One, as mentioned in the story, is in the area. SWAC is several blocks west of there. Tracker shows a TV helicopter too, which is odd since they are usually off duty by now.

  • Eric November 8, 2019 (7:02 pm)

    Can confirm. At least three squad cars and the helicopter are visible from my window.

  • Debbie November 8, 2019 (7:03 pm)

    Lots of circling…

  • TinaC November 8, 2019 (7:08 pm)

    I’m on 20th and Thistle.  Very scary to hear the helicopter overhead.  There was a police car on my intersection for a couple minutes.  It just drove off, with lights flashing but no sound.  I hope my neighbors are safe.  WSB thank you for the reporting. 

  • Shannon November 8, 2019 (7:08 pm)

    Flying over our house for the last 5 minutes on 15th and Thistle.

  • m November 8, 2019 (7:12 pm)

    A medic truck with flashing lights just parked in the street on 17th between Barton & Henderson. Related?

    • WSB November 8, 2019 (7:25 pm)

      No, that’s a separate aid response (low-level medical).

      • m November 8, 2019 (7:36 pm)

        Thank you, WSB. 

  • Diane November 8, 2019 (7:13 pm)

    Tons of emergency response zooming by. Incident was 2 blocks away from me. I can hear the helicopters over my house. Hope they catch the perpetrator!

  • Christine November 8, 2019 (7:15 pm)

    I can hear the helicopter in Highland Park

  • Michelle November 8, 2019 (7:16 pm)

    Heard 3 shots fired at about 6:30 and then yelling. I’m a block and a half away. Keeping a close eye on my street. Hope everyone is okay…

  • HP res November 8, 2019 (7:20 pm)

    Squad cars searching 13th moments ago

  • Chelsey November 8, 2019 (7:26 pm)

    Cops going up and down our street on 12th by Highland Park

  • A random seattlite November 8, 2019 (7:30 pm)

    Helicopters passing right overhead right now. 25th & thistle by westwood village.

  • RCG November 8, 2019 (7:38 pm)

    We saw the police investigating as we drove home along Thistle, and saw Guardian One. We live three blocks away. My partner walks that route from the bus stop most evenings, too. Hopefully they will get this figured out.

  • Kate November 8, 2019 (7:39 pm)

    Had just returned a book to the Little Free Library about 15 minutes before it happened. Saw a couple of girls at the corner but didn’t think anything of it, and I kept on walking. Not long afterwards, I heard the three gunshots and then all the sirens and the helicopter. So very sad. So thankful for all the first responders. 

  • m November 8, 2019 (7:40 pm)

    Helicopters no longer circling. 

  • Jason November 8, 2019 (7:44 pm)

    Ambulance and police activity was parked in front of my house (18th between Cloverdale and Trenton) when we got home at 6:47. At 6:40 our doorbell cam has captured a group of teens knocking on the door in apparent attempt to get help! Chopper circled the area for nearly 45 mins following. 

  • miws November 8, 2019 (7:44 pm)

    7:43 pm, 9000 block of 16th, no longer hearing G-1 as of 5 or so minutes ago. —Mike

  • D November 8, 2019 (7:49 pm)

    Wonder if it has anything with the tagging on Delridge… in the road. Machine gun, mac 10, 1% evil, and something about Ralph. 

    • A random seattlite November 8, 2019 (8:52 pm)

      I havent seen that, but its doubtful. Very little tagging is actually gang related. Although I have seen gang tags in the area 90% of what I see is just random graffiti or street art.Briefly for those unaware – gang tags usually are slightly stylized jagged or “old english” block letters for the most part, usually done in black, blue, red or white and may have certain letters and/or words crossed out or defaced. Graffiti tagging is heavily stylized writing and may not be easily legible to random people. Its also in many different colors, also with images and designs. The overlap between art graffiti and gang graffiti is low, and the motivation for doing it is different. Most graffiti isnt gang graffiti. Its just people enjoying spray painting/drawing their tag name or image on things so people they know will see it. (Not condoning it, but i do get the culture.)

  • Karen November 8, 2019 (7:57 pm)

    I helped the person who was shot.  That person was conscious and taking and got help right away.  The rest of the kids were picked up by their adult.  They were all shaken up but ok.HUGE shout out to police, paramedics, fire and 911 operators.  It was chaotic and scary but our first responders are amazing!

    • Darryll November 8, 2019 (8:25 pm)

      Karen,it sounds like you were one of the first responders. Thanks for being a good citizen and helping this poor kid!

  • m November 8, 2019 (8:29 pm)

    Huge shout out to you, too, Karen, for stepping in to help. 

  • Bradley November 9, 2019 (11:54 am)

    I used to live in that neighborhood 30 years ago on 18th SW near Elmgrove. These types of shooting incidents were very common back then. The neighborhood is 1000% better now, but it’s sad to hear that this sort of thing happened over there. I’m glad the victim will recover and assistance was given so quickly.

    • Correct statement November 10, 2019 (8:22 pm)

      If the neighborhood was 100% better than 30 years ago, this wouldn’t have happened. Thus it’s not 100% better now.

      • Bradley November 11, 2019 (2:16 pm)

        I wrote 1000%, not 100%, and, yes, it IS that much better. In 1989-90 this kind of thing happened constantly there, along with robberies, assaults, tons of burglaries, grand theft auto, etc.

  • South Delridge Gal November 9, 2019 (4:03 pm)

    Thank you for the update. Glad to hear the victim will survive. Our house is not even a block away and that alleyway is behind us. Plus, so many youth and families around w/Sealth football game going on at same time as shooting. Then, this morning we were at my son’s soccer game at Riverside when SPD chased down auto thieves. Craziness!Do we know if the victim or “group” she was with is gang affiliated? Or if they knew the shooters? So many bus and school commuters, parents w/babies in strollers, etc walk by that very spot. Hope the gang police makes some progress and provides an update. I know they’ve been focused on this area for a while. Gangs are stupid and I hate them. 

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