UPDATE: ‘Scenes of violence’ response after road-rage shooting victims drive to Southwest Precinct

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

8:19 AM: Seattle Fire has a “scenes of violence” response headed to 2300 SW Webster, which is the Southwest Precinct address. The call type indicates two people injured. More shortly.

(WSB photo)

8:32 AM: Attention is focused on a car in the precinct lot. Two people were just “grazed,” SFD tells us, and refused medical treatment.

8:42 AM: As circumstances suggested, this happened elsewhere – near 16th and Holden, we’re told – and the victims then showed up at the precinct. Their car had a clearly visible bullet hole through one window.

9:41 AM: Police now describe this as believed to have been a “road rage” shooting:

Police are investigating after a couple in their 70s were wounded in a suspected road rage shooting this morning in West Seattle. The couple were driving in West Seattle around 8:15 AM when they encountered another motorist in a white van, who was driving slowly in front of them. The male victim honked at the other driver and then drove around the suspect’s van.

The victims then stopped at a red light at the intersection of 16th Avenue SW and SW Holden Street. The suspect pulled up on the passenger’s side of the victims’ car and fired a single shot into their vehicle, grazing the victims.

The suspect sped away, and the victims drove to the nearby Southwest Precinct and flagged down officers to report the incident and receive aid for their injuries. Police searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. If you have any information about this incident, please call the SPD Violent Crimes tip line at 206-233-5000 or 911.

10:12 AM: A few additional details from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman – the white van was described as “dirty”; its driver actually got out and shot into the victims’ car. They described him as a “light-skinned Black man, mid-20s, gray cap, 6′.” Police are still looking around for any security cameras in the area that might at least show the van, so if you’re anywhere near 16th/Holden, take a look.

ADDED: SFD confirms the victims were a 71-year-old woman and 70-year-old man, both with minor injuries.

LJJ December 17, 2020 (8:27 am)

Heard the sirens and checked 911 dispatch. Really worried about the size of the response. Praying for safety for everyone involved.

WSB December 17, 2020 (8:39 am)

As since noted, no serious injuries. Most units were canceled rather quickly. The log only shows the size of initial dispatch in calls , doesn’t “close” (turn blue) until every single SFD unit is off the call (which they are now).
- Pdxmark77 December 17, 2020 (9:38 am)
  
  Which is also why you will often see some units being shown active on 2 seperate unrelated calls. Often they will be dismissed on their original call but still shows active and they got another call so they will show active on that as well.

cjboffoli December 17, 2020 (9:19 am)

I wonder why this elicited a Scenes of Violence 14 response.

WSB December 17, 2020 (9:32 am)

Because there were two potential victims in the car. Still trying to get info sorting out the circumstances overall.

WSB December 17, 2020 (9:45 am)

More info just in from SPD, added above.

smh December 17, 2020 (9:47 am)

Does the fire station have cameras that may have a recording they can share with police?

WSB December 17, 2020 (9:55 am)

They’ve already checked on that, and apparently no view showing the street.

gumbotonite December 17, 2020 (9:50 am)

What a sad coward. Who shoots someone because they honk at you? People are insane.

BBILL December 17, 2020 (11:31 am)

“Who shoots someone because they honk at you?” Especially when Washington law suggests that the person passing should honk (“audible signal”) to establish right-of-way. RCWs 46.37.380 & 46.61.110(3)

Craig December 17, 2020 (9:56 am)

Lots of rough action from white vans in WS lately. Bicycle hit and run, porch pirate, now this shooting. Social media disclaimer. Not all white vans are bad, nor people that drive them bad. The incidents are not related.

AMD December 17, 2020 (10:08 am)

Giving the benefit of the doubt, I think there are a lot of people *hoping* the white van means it is the same people, because if/when they’re caught, it solves all the problems at once. Glad the victims weren’t seriously hurt. I do hope whoever did this is caught, and soon.
- BBILL December 17, 2020 (12:06 pm)
  
  If there are many different actors, like white vans being driven over the speed limit, then it’s going to be a long time, maybe never, before they’re all caught. That said without evidence, based wholly on the nature of the crimes and the vehicle descriptions being similar, I hope it is only one person who is involved in both the bicycle hit and run and this shooting at a motorist. White vans are common and package theft is a far more common crime than hit and run/shooting at motorists.
Frog December 17, 2020 (10:19 am)

How do you know?
BBILL December 17, 2020 (11:15 am)

“The incidents are not related.” How do you know that?

bolo December 17, 2020 (9:59 am)

White van? Driving slowly? Could this be a common thread to other recent theft incidents?

Mcofc2002 December 17, 2020 (9:10 pm)

I was just about to ask the same question. I get neighborhood ring alerts and recently a white fan has been posted in a lot of package thefts!!

CeeJay December 17, 2020 (10:32 am)

There’s been so much crazy driving and road rage recently that I’ve seen. What’s been going on with society? Has everyone officially lost their mind?

Sam-c December 17, 2020 (6:56 pm)

Yes. Definitely a lot more aggressive driving lately, see it all over West Seattle. In fact, this evening, I was driving north on 16th, going 27-29 mph (technically a few miles over the posted limit), and was tailgated, then eventually passed on the right by someone flying down the empty parking lane in front of SSC campus.

neighbor December 17, 2020 (10:33 am)

same white van as mail theft one and hit n run one of late in west sea??

WSB December 17, 2020 (10:42 am)

No idea. I asked that when I spoke to Capt. Grossman a little while ago, no indication at this point. As the commenter upthread noted, there are a lot of white vans, could be a coincidence,

wseaturtle December 17, 2020 (11:02 am)

If we knew the route, homeowners could check their security cameras.

Walk to the Library December 17, 2020 (11:29 am)

Resort to armed violence when someone impedes your path? The defeated resident of the White House has encouraged exactly this course of action with his shameless “stand by.” The toxicity and entitlement has permeated too much for too long.

alki_2008 December 18, 2020 (6:56 pm)

What are you talking about with “when someone impedes your path”? The elderly person that was shot is the one that exhibited road aggressiveness, when the white van was driving too slowly. You mean the elderly victim was impeding the white van’s path?

Later on, they were all stopped at a red light and that’s when the person in the white van shot at the elderly people. You’re trying too hard to make a situation fit the message you’re trying to pass along.

StopCuttingDownTrees December 17, 2020 (12:37 pm)

The worst part of this incident (besides the monster not being apprehended) is that the victims are in their 70s.

WSB December 17, 2020 (12:51 pm)

70 and 71, to be specific; I heard back from SFD and am adding the detail above.

James December 17, 2020 (1:07 pm)

I checked my cams, and only have a white box trunk on 16th Ave SW, south of Holden, around that time. If they were at the light and the van pulled up on the passenger side then the “van” would have likely gone straight at the light, south on 16th, but would be nice to get confirmation which direction the van fled.

WiseWoman December 17, 2020 (1:19 pm)

I just saw a suspicious white chevy van 90’s with sliding passenger cargo door at 12:30 on Fauntleroy & Avalon. All windows tinted including windshield. I tried to look at guy driving and he avoided me and when I pulled over he deliberately got out of lane traffic so not to be filmed. I have excellent intuition and no suspicious activity and have experience with that ex-military as well. License plate stats with. C

Stuck on Avalon December 17, 2020 (2:41 pm)

Just a little point of info on this- every commercial vehicle registered in the state of Washington has a plate that starts with the letter C.
- R0b0 December 17, 2020 (10:18 pm)
  
  Actually C leading WA plates designates truck not just commercial vehicles FYI.

WiseWoman December 17, 2020 (1:31 pm)

That is like gang initiation stuff. Honk or bright lights —- shoot them. Stupid games people play and now everyone honks in Island Traffic!!!

Don December 17, 2020 (4:03 pm)

@wisewoman, SNOPES!

*smh

Peter December 17, 2020 (2:01 pm)

Be careful with your assumptions about this specific white van being linked to multiple crimes, people. There are tens of thousands of these vehicles. A person who commits a crime driving a white van is in no way evidence they are involved in any other crimes involving white vans. If you do have evidence to link them, please contact authorities instead of commenting on a blog.

BBILL December 17, 2020 (4:35 pm)

“A person who commits a crime driving a white van is in no way evidence
they are involved in any other crimes involving white vans.” What we know is there are lots of white vans and some recent incidents with at least one of them. From the public information, it is not clear that there are multiple vans, nor is it clear that there is only one van used in the various crimes. Hopefully we can agree that because someone driving a white van commits a crime does not mean that everyone who drives a white van is a criminal, and driving a white van is not a crime.

Flo B December 17, 2020 (2:03 pm)

Wisewoman. Did you call 911? Police can’t follow up on tips if nobody calls.

Meeeee December 17, 2020 (4:34 pm)

Please stop repeating unfounded rumors on gang initiations such as honking or flashing lights. It’s not true and posting that here encourages the misinformation being shared more.Debunked Gang Initiation

Michelle December 17, 2020 (5:14 pm)

I saw what appeared to be a white box truck on 16th and Holden at the time of the incident, stopped in the street directly in front of the 7-eleven. I only want to point out that it’s less than 10 days before Christmas and a 10 months into a pandemic lock down. People are receiving deliveries like crazy and not all those delivery vehicles are marked. There’s ALOT of white vans around.

White van spotter December 17, 2020 (6:52 pm)

Is the white van an older van? I saw an old white van with frazzled driver park on the west side of 26th just one block south of the delridge baseball field. The van had a sign in the window saying something like “bitch up in this baby”.

Sorry, comment time is over.