DID YOU SEE ANYTHING? Witnesses sought in longtime West Seattle resident’s shooting death near Costco

You might have heard about what police called a “road rage” shooting death on 4th Avenue South near Costco one week ago.

We now know the 68-year-old man who was killed, Bob Jensen, had deep roots in West Seattle.

The man who shot and killed him called 911 to report what he’d done. But police haven’t arrested him – they’re looking for more witnesses to help them clarify what happened and whether it was a crime.

Mr. Jensen’s longtime friend David Katt tells WSB he had just seen him the preceding Saturday, at their 50-year reunion for Chief Sealth‘s Class of 1972 – Mr. Jensen, he says, was also an alum of Fauntleroy Elementary and Denny Junior High – so old-school Seattle, he was a “Patches Pal,” as the photo at right underscores. According to Katt, Mr. Jensen cared daily for his elderly mother, “bought groceries for his 96-year-old neighbor, volunteered at the Hydroplane Museum, Ski Patrol … (and was) loved by many in the West Seattle community. We are searching for answers. The lack of an arrest is incomprehensible.”

Police say they got the call at 10:13 am last Thursday (July 21st), that a man had been shot in the 4400 block of 4th Avenue South. They found Mr. Jensen, who had been shot in the abdomen. He died at Harborview Medical Center. One of the 911 calls came from the 38-year-old man who shot him, who police say “remained on scene to provide a statement.” Police say witnesses reported the two men “had been involved in a road-rage incident that escalated to a confrontation, and then a shooting.” They seized the other man’s gun as evidence, but did not arrest him.

Now, they’re looking for more people who may have seen the shooting. Their update says, “There were many vehicles stopped on 4th Avenue South when the shooting occurred, and detectives believe the occupants of those vehicles may include witnesses. Nearby surveillance camera footage shows multiple cars in the area — including vehicles similar to a Lexus SUV, a Toyota Highlander, and a Toyota RAV4.” Here’s an image they’re circulating:

The police call for witnesses says, “If you were in any of the cars identified in these photos, or were stopped in traffic nearby and witnessed any portion of this incident, please call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000 or email SPD_homicide@seattle.gov.”

Mr. Jensen’s friends are hoping for information too, to know what could possibly have happened that led to the violent death of a man they knew as selfless: “Bob was a very skilled carpenter, plumber, welder, electrician. Would work oftentimes for no fee,” says Katt, who adds that his understanding is that Mr. Jensen was unarmed. Police have not released further details about the reported circumstances.

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FOLLOWUP: Man charged with stalking U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal is back in jail

July 28, 2022 7:09 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

One day after the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced 48-year-old Brett A. Forsell was charged with stalking U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, he’s back in jail. We’ve been checking the county jail roster, and a check just now shows he was booked less than half an hour ago. When the charges were filed, the KCPAO said, a judge agreed to issue a $500,000 arrest warrant for him, so that’s the amount of bail he’ll be held on. We aren’t likely to be able to find out the circumstances of his arrest until tomorrow. He was released July 13th, four days after the incident outside Rep. Jayapal’s Arbor Heights home, because he had not yet been charged.

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WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit Board votes for Junction tunnel, Andover elevated stations

July 28, 2022 5:43 pm

| 60 COMMENTS

| Sound Transit | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

While the region was dealing with transportation troubles by sea and by land this afternoon, the Sound Transit Board of Directors took what you could call it semifinal vote on routing and station locations for West Seattle’s future light rail.

Without much discussion, despite an at-times-emotional last round of public comment, board members unanimously approved final environmental-impact studies for the “preferred alternative” recommended by a board committee two weeks ago, with these locations and possible modifications:

See the full slide deck here. For engineering concept diagrams, you can see this appendix of the Draft Environmental Impact Report; for lists of potentially affected parcels, see this section of the DEIS. (ADDED) For summaries of the chosen options, see this document – page 41 explains the Junction station and the “retained cut” Avalon station that goes with it (unless dropped later), while page 36 explains the Andover station, and page 26 summarizes the “preferred” Duwamish River crossing.

Almost all of the West Seattle-related comments in the hour and a half of public comment that opened the meeting had to do with opposition to the Delridge station option the board is supporting, DEL-6, particularly because of its potential impacts on Transitional Resources, which provides supportive housing and other services to people living with behavioral/mental-health issues, many of whom were formerly homeless, about half of whom TR says are BIPOC. TR’s CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker broke down in tears while speaking to the board today, recounting how she had to tell clients that “their homes are at risk.” TR clients past and present spoke as well; one asked, “how can you even think about tearing it down?” A current resident said, “There’s nothing transitional about (it) … please don’t destroy our homes.” Another, who said TR saved their life 10 years ago, added, “I was given a home that surrounded me with love and support” after leaving a hospital … “the irony is that TR taught me how to use Seattle transit, including light rail, for my independence.” And a TR supporter said that what the organization provides “cannot be replicated” and “serves the most marginalized people in our community.” Almost all the non-WS comments at the meeting were about the Chinatown-ID station south of downtown, which will be studied for at least a few more months before the board votes on a “preferred alternative.”

At least one board member said they were moved by the Transitional Resources stories and pledged to do what they could to find a way to lessen the project’s impact. ST executive Cathal Ridge, while presenting the motion’s key points, said that the modifications to be studied – perhaps shifting the Andover station-related route a bit – could work toward that end.

WHAT’S NEXT: ST staff now works on the final Environmental Impact Statement, which among other things will respond to all the concerns and issues raised in relation to the Draft EIS. The FEIS is due out sometime next year; after that, the board would take a final vote on routing and station locations. If nothing else affects the timeline, West Seattle light rail is still expected to open in 2032.

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TODAY/TONIGHT: Sound Transit, West Seattle Transportation Coalition meetings, and where to find other events

July 28, 2022 12:47 pm

| Comments Off on TODAY/TONIGHT: Sound Transit, West Seattle Transportation Coalition meetings, and where to find other events

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

This morning’s breaking news pre-empted our usual daily “here’s what’s happening” list but we have three quick reminders:

SOUND TRANSIT BOARD: Today’s the day the board is expected to vote on West Seattle routing/station locations for final environmental studies (which would be followed by a final decision, likely next year). As previewed Wednesday, the meeting is in-person and online, and you can comment both ways. It’s set for 1:30-5 pm; the links for the agenda, videostream, and phone line are here.

WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: WSTC’s regular every-two-months meeting is online tonight at 6:30 pm. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is scheduled to be there to talk about city transportation issues (including how the confirmation process for the newly nominated SDOT director Greg Spotts will go). Info on how to watch/listen/participate is in our calendar listing. (ADDED) A Washington State Ferries spokesperson also will join the meeting to talk about today’s Fauntleroy incident.

TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON … lots happening tonight! … see our Event Calendar.

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UPDATE: State ferry Cathlamet ‘significantly’ damaged in ‘hard landing’; Fauntleroy dock reopens after 7-hour closure

July 28, 2022 8:22 am

| 181 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

8:22 AM: We’re getting multiple reports that an incoming ferry has hit the Fauntleroy dock. … You can see the damage on the M/V Cathlamet in this photo by Bill Wellington:

No word yet on injuries – Seattle Fire and Police have been dispatched.

8:33 AM: Here’s another view, from Angela Summerfield, one of the people who told us the impact was very loud.

She says the Cathlamet went into reverse and pulled away after the initial impact. It then returned to offload and our crew says it’s now at the dock – just sent this photo:

No indication of any serious injuries – our crew says SFD is getting ready to depart – and we’re hearing via the scanner that only “minor injuries” are reported, but the dock is closed TFN. … WSF calls it a “hard landing … causing significant damage to the vessel and an offshore dolphin at the terminal. … Fauntleroy service suspended until further notice while assessment is done.”

8:56 AM: Above photo is a closer look at the damage. Some vehicles on board appear to have been damaged too. The State Patrol has sent multiple units (the ferry system is a state highway, so it’s their jurisdiction). A U.S. Coast Guard vessel is in view along the dock too. … Among those on the Cathlamet when it happened was Anne Higuera of Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), who tells us that right after the impact, “The crew on the boat was really calm and professional.” … She tells us there was no warning that the impact was imminent. She also says the ferry was not fully loaded with cars – this time of the morning from Vashon usually isn’t full.

9:20 AM: We’re awaiting a public-information officer at the dock. Meantime, Mark Dale sent a view of the damaged boat from the hillside above, before it went back in to offload post-impact:

Right now, the dock remains closed and the damaged boat is still there. A State Patrol spokesperson tells us one person who was on board is coming back for a medical evaluation but they don’t believe the injury is serious. … Some backstory: WSF talked at its community meetings last month about its vessel shortage, with no new builds expected to come online before 2027. The boat damaged today, M/V Cathlamet, is 41 years old and has had trouble in recent years, including what we reported as a “smoky scare” one year ago. … WSP just told us the dock is expected to be closed for at least the rest of today.

9:52 AM: WSF tells us they’re expecting to have a media briefing in a few hours. Here’s the official WSF alert on how service is affected:

The Issaquah will be the only boat on the route for now and will continue service between Southworth and Vashon. The boat will not operate on its regular schedule and just load vehicles before departing to its next destination to move as much traffic as possible.

There will be no midday tie up of the Point Defiance/Tahlequah route to assist with service during this time. Therefore, there will be an additional 12:35 p.m. sailing from Point Defiance, and a 1 p.m. sailing from Tahlequah.

(That’s the route between the south end of Vashon and Tacoma.)

10:09 AM: Some asked in comments about the WSF explanation that an “offshore dolphin” was damaged. Just in via comments, this photo by Pam Kirkpatrick shows the damage:

WSF tweeted this photo of the damage from onboard:

10:38 AM: If you’re wondering about the helicopter over the deck, it’s the TV stations’ shared helicopter. … Meantime, among those commenting below is the superintendent of the Vashon Island School District, which has a notable amount of students who commute from West Seattle. They’re monitoring the situation. Again, the only ways to get to/from Vashon right now are via either Southworth or Tahlequah (clarification: with vehicles; the Water Taxi to downtown runs weekday during commute times) . … Update from the Coast Guard: Two cars “remain stuck” aboard the ferry. The USCG has tweeted a few photos including this:

11:36 AM: Updates from WSF – they plan a media briefing at 2:30 pm. In the meantime, they say that if the Cathlamet can be safely moved, they’ll bring in the Kitsap and resume two-boat service on the route. No timeline on that yet – both the boat and the damaged “offshore terminal structure” are still being evaluated.

12:20 PM: WSF says the dock will be evaluated once the vessel is moved – so no decisions on service restoration until then.

1:15 PM: Two video clips from readers, right after the ferry hit the dolphin:

That’s Anne Higuera‘s video showing how ferry crew calmly went to check on people in vehicles close to the front of the deck. Below is Diane Berge‘s video showing Cathlamet backing away after hitting the dolphin:

2:08 PM: The Vashon Island Water Taxi will add a round trip tonight – details here.

2:33 PM: We have a crew at the WSF media briefing.

Meantime, WSF has tweeted that “people with monthly or multi-ride vehicle/passenger passes for Vashon & #outhworth will be allowed to use their pass at Colman Dock in #Seattle for today only to help facilitate their travel.”

2:59 PM: The briefing is over. We’ll upload the entire video as soon as our crew’s back. A few quick highlights: Too soon to tell whether human error or mechanical problem. Crew is being interviewed and tested. They will try to move the Cathlamet within the next few hours and if that works, they’ll go ahead with plan to use M/V Kitsap on the run.

3:07 PM: Actually – Cathlamet just pulled out.

Kitsap is on its way – currently in Rich Passage east of Bremerton, per WSF VesselWatch.

3:20 PM: VesselWatch shows M/V Issaquah now arriving at Fauntleroy. … WSF says the dock is going back into service. Cathlamet is headed for WSF’s Eagle Harbor facility for repairs (after what WSF says will be “crew-move stops at Vashon and Southworth”).

4:08 PM: Here’s our video of the briefing. (Our apologies for the background-audio problem; Sterling’s audio is clearer in this KING upload.) Speaking along with WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling were WSDOT assistant secretary for ferries Patty Rubstello and former ferries boss, now deputy WSDOT secretary, Amy Scarton.

WSF says it has resumed service “sailing all stops with no set schedule” for now, but will switch at some point tonight to the “posted two-boat schedule.” To summarize the briefing – they didn’t have many answers. The captain is a “longtime” WSF employee, said Sterling, noting that becoming a captain requires about 20 years experience. He did not know how many vehicles were on board when this happened (it wasn’t a full load, as you can see in Anne Higuera’s video featured above). The vessel will likely take months to repair. The USCG will lead the investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board “working alongside” them. One damaged vehicle remained on the boat, under a crumpled section of the ferry’s “pickle fork,” but several others were damaged, Sterling said. … One more note: If you still have questions, a WSF rep is scheduled to join tonight’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting to talk about this, 6:30 pm online (link and call-in number are in our calendar listing).

5:08 PM: Photo added above is from Anne Higuera, showing the damaged Cathlamet now tied up at Vashon. (As noted above, she was on board when it hit the Fauntleroy dolphin this morning.)

6:30 PM: As noted in comments, Cathlamet is now at Eagle Harbor.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Welcome to Thursday

July 28, 2022 6:01 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, July 28th.

WEATHER

Sunny and hot, with the “excessive heat warning” alert now extended through Saturday night, and a high in the 90s expected (Wednesday’s official high was 91, down from Tuesday’s 94).

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for word of reroutes/trip cancellations.

The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule.

Ferries: WSF continues on the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – and WSF says that probably won’t change before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

858th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. 45 days until the week SDOT hopes to reopen it.

Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)