WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire investigation

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

8:25 PM: This week, Seattle Police have been talking about an increase in gunfire incidents around the city and locally. Tonight it happened again in West Seattle. The car in the photo above was pulled over at California/Juneau after police got reports of multiple vehicles involved in a gunfire incident near 48th/49th/Charlestown. This car was found to have a bullet hole in the hood. Police were still looking for at least one other vehicle last we heard; no injuries reported. We are on the way to the original scene to see if we can find out more.

8:41 PM:. Police are still talking to people at the original scene but tell us they have not made any arrests so far.

8:58 PM: Police just told dispatch that they’ve also recovered a shell casing near 48th/Charlestown.

West G August 22, 2020 (8:37 pm)

Wow I live 3 blocks away, heard the shots, how many were there?

Jay August 22, 2020 (8:42 pm)

We live off Charleston. While sitting outside we definitely heard 2 pops and something whiz by.

vee August 22, 2020 (8:55 pm)

Our council members better wake up or things will get worse

John August 22, 2020 (9:45 pm)

Yeah. City council needs to pass federal gun control legislation that tracks & can identify all guns used in such crimes against the public good. The perpetrators should have to think twice before pulling the fun 2nd amendment trigger in your neighborhood, lest they are later arrested at their comfy local home while watching tiktok videos and dragged off to serve 5 to 10. Garbage is on the streets, and we put it there.
- MSW August 23, 2020 (12:18 am)
  
  Yeah, like the criminals are going to care about gun control laws.
  - 22blades August 23, 2020 (5:40 am)
    
    You’re right. It’s the billion dollar industry selling guns like a crack epidemic that will care.
  - Friend O'Dinghus August 23, 2020 (7:51 am)
    
    Yeah. Since criminals disregard laws (they are criminals, right?) then we should give up on all laws as simply useless. All laws. You know, since criminals don’t (and won’t) obey them, we might as well not have any of them at all. Note: For those among us who are unable to determine for themselves, this is sarcasm.
  - candrewb August 23, 2020 (8:29 am)
    
    There’s plenty of pretty strict gun laws; we just don’t use them.
    - NickMemphis August 23, 2020 (9:03 pm)
      
      Is this where the mynorthwest ppl went to?
    - fitz August 28, 2020 (11:22 am)
      
      In Virginia in the 90s, they passed a law that if you committed ANY crime while using a gun, it was an automatic 5 year prison sentence. You rob a 7-11 for a snickers and get 60 days… you get 60 days plus 5 years.No surprise, gun crimes went down dramatically that first year.
- Jon August 23, 2020 (8:52 am)
  
  Someone from West Seattle tried to get the BradyUnited people to get behind a system that would make bullets AFID compliant. The Brady people wanted nothing to do with it and obviously if the BradyUnited people didn’t want anything to do with it he couldn’t get the manufactures behind his idea.
- Mike August 23, 2020 (6:25 pm)
  
  They have to find the gun first
- TJ August 25, 2020 (8:48 pm)
  
  Not clear how a local city council can pass Federal gun laws….Would you mind clarifying?
Mark August 22, 2020 (10:38 pm)

Lisa and her kindergarten council have made our city so much more unsafe. Shame on them.
WS98er August 22, 2020 (10:43 pm)

Let’s make sure we have all of the facts before we throw blame on our council members. Per Southwest precinct Capt. Grossman, SPD spends a lot of time responding to homeless issues (which he said are better handled by other entities) and minor accidents where no one was injured (people just need to call insurance companies). He also said their current state “…is not just a matter of “defunding,” but the fact that the pandemic has taken a giant bite out of city finances. The city and state rely on taxes that “just aren’t coming in right now.”
- Kaj August 23, 2020 (9:26 pm)
  
  Because we have City Council members driving business to the Eastside and out of State. Fewer businesses, during or after Covid, means fewer taxes and possibly more property tax increases. And don’t think that just because you rent you are exempt, your rent will increase as the property owners taxes increase.

Plf August 22, 2020 (8:55 pm)

So scary, so closei want more police not lessnot saying improvements need to happen but with all the issues that seemto be increasing in West Seattle I would support more patrolling not less

Pete August 22, 2020 (9:00 pm)

If we arrest fewer people then there will be less crime…..right?
zark00 August 23, 2020 (1:46 pm)

More police would have no impact on this. Police don’t patrol 48th and Charleston, ever.
- Alkilocal August 23, 2020 (4:52 pm)
  
  True, zark00, However the Alki beach area, boat launch, and Hamilton view point evening and night time visitors can easily access from Admiral to 49th or Orleans down Charlestown. Both seem like great “racing strips” as more and more cars have been speeding through the streets. Until the Alki “nightclub” scene becomes more controlled with enforcement, any nearby part of West Seattle is vulnerability to those who think rules do not apply. Rules do not seem to apply. It’s been a free for all, and it’s just going to spread as limits and boundaries get tested.
- David August 23, 2020 (5:11 pm)
  
  This shouldn’t be hard to comprehend, Less police and de-emphasizing crime emboldens criminals to take chances like this. You’re right, more police don’t prevent crime from happening but the combination of police and emphasizing prosecutions changes the risk versus reward calculation for criminals. I’m guessing you’ve never lived in a High crime area so you should try talking to the people that have.

Mj August 22, 2020 (10:41 pm)

Scary, things are very stressfull.

Born and raised August 22, 2020 (11:49 pm)

John, said so well

Jethro Marx August 23, 2020 (4:08 pm)

Really? What was your favorite part? Suggesting a city write federal policy?

jsparra August 23, 2020 (6:03 am)

Well said MSW!

Huck August 23, 2020 (10:47 am)

Unfortunately this has to continue to happen in order to bring change to the city council.The sad thing is that people will die.

Lagartija Nick August 23, 2020 (2:15 pm)

Conservatives: “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people!”

Also conservatives: “This gun violence is the fault of the city council!”

Hypocrites

John August 23, 2020 (3:32 pm)

Sorry, but it’s not just conservatives that own guns.
Don’t confuse bumper stickers with rational thinking.
Mw August 23, 2020 (3:37 pm)

Yes. People kill people, Nick. Yes, and the council is directly responsible for the increase in gun violence. The council has enabled criminals to be bolder because criminals see the council’s undermining of law enforcement as a license to do more crime. THAT is how the council is responsible for increasing criminal violence of all kinds in our city.
- John August 23, 2020 (3:51 pm)
  
  But wait. I thought the $25 tax on firearms, along with 5 cents a round, passed by the city council a few years ago was keeping us safe.
  
  No?
  
  Or is the money paying for something else?
- David August 23, 2020 (5:13 pm)
  
  I just said basically the same thing before I even saw your post.
- zark00 August 23, 2020 (5:27 pm)
  
  @ MW – Why, then, is crime down almost across the board in Seattle? There are slightly less shooting incidents in 2020 Q1 and Q2 than the previous 3 years Q1 and Q2. The ONLY stat that’s up is number of victims. Following your logic, either people are better shots, or guns are more effective. Nothing in the stats points to an increase in crime whatsoever; only an increase in the effectiveness of gun violence. Source: https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/prosecutor/documents/2020/Jan,-d-,-June_2020_King_County_gun_report.ashx?la=enThe prevalence guns in our society is a huge problem. Guns are a huge problem, they have always been a problem, they are now a bigger problem. Pretending they aren’t a problem, and pinning the blame on other things to rationalize ones obsession owning them, is not a solution.
  - John August 23, 2020 (8:00 pm)
    
    Having been the victim of violent crime I would have to agree that “guns are a huge problem”.
    
    For a criminal.
    
    Being armed during an incident 20 years ago is the only reason I’m still alive. In addition to 3 other people.That’s not manipulated data, but real life.
    - zark00 August 23, 2020 (9:26 pm)
      
      Glad you’re ok. A single, isolated, extremely rare incident, from 20 years ago, does not prove that more guns equals more safety.
  - alkiobserver August 25, 2020 (7:21 am)
    
    Eh, check that @Zark00. You are WAY off saying the only stat that is up is victims. Try a whopping 55% increase in shots-fired incidents. From a previous WSB post:Shots-fired incidents are up dramatically in the city, she (Chief Carmen Best) says – 116 since June 1st, a 55 percent increase. (The Southwest Precinct commander has noted an increase in our area too, though smaller, as we reported earlier this week.) She talks about community programs’ role in prevention, and turns the mic over to Interim Chief-to-be Diaz.
TM7302 August 24, 2020 (10:03 am)

@ LAGARTIJA NICK, reminds me of a meme I saw recently…
Teacher: Guns kill people
Student: My pencil causes bad grades
WSREZ August 24, 2020 (12:05 pm)

lol but this is so accurate.

N August 23, 2020 (9:47 pm)

I was the car that got pulled over and I had absolutely nothing to do with this shoot out. I got caught in the crossfire and when I was pulled over and they searched my car the police realized, I had absolutely NOTHING to do with whatever the hell was going on. I was just dropping family off that lives in that neighborhood. This experience was absolutely traumatic for me and to be honest they need to find out who was behind the whole incident because I could’ve lost my life but thank god I’m alive and well.

Sorry, comment time is over.