WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Police search after gunfire in South Delridge

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

2:37 AM: After multiple reports of gunfire in South Delridge, both Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Deputies are out searching right now. There are no reports of injuries so far. Officers are telling dispatch they’re finding “bullet damage to cars.”

2:43 AM: They’re looking for a suspect who apparently allegedly at some point threatened officers, and at least part of the search has ranged north into Highland Park. A K-9 team is part of the search.

9:29 AM: Update from police:

Police investigating a report of domestic violence came under fire from the suspect as he fled the West Seattle scene early Saturday morning.

A woman called 911 around 12:30 am to report that her ex-boyfriend was chasing her through West Seattle and pointing a handgun at her. Police responding to her home spotted the 26-year-old suspect’s vehicle driving toward the house. Officers attempted to get the suspect to stop the vehicle but he drove off at a high rate of speed.

45 minutes later, officers were dispatched to multiple reports of shots fired near the victim’s home. Responding officers again spotted the suspect’s vehicle and chased it to 17 Avenue SW and SW Barton Street, where the suspect exited the car and began running away. Officers gave chase until the suspect turned and opened fire on the officers. Bullets struck multiple vehicles parked in the area, and even hit a car narrowly missing the leg of the officer that was outside of that vehicle.

Police contained the area and searched with a K9 officer but have not found the suspect yet. Officers described the shooter as a Hispanic male, 5’7”, 140 lbs, mustache, goatee, wearing a black hoodie and missing one shoe.

If you spot the suspect please call 911 immediately.

m November 19, 2022 (2:46 am)

Woke up hearing 2 rounds fired at quick succession, 8-10 shots per round. As I was talking to 911 dispatch, I heard a woman in the alley scream, “Call them, call them.” Very large police presence in the alley between 16th Ave SW & 17th Ave SW @ Henderson right now.

A November 19, 2022 (4:28 am)

Saw 3 cop cars circling the neighborhood looking for someone around 3:30am near Highland Park.

Worm juice November 19, 2022 (4:56 am)

What the hell is going on around here that 2shootings in 2days Is happening obviously it’s drug/gang related or some idiot trying to kill people. Sucks that the police can’t even catch a break on these a-holes I said in another post the SPD and king county need to commit to solutions to clean this area up it’s crazy over here too much gun violence and drug related crimes

WSB November 19, 2022 (9:50 am)

No, this started as domestic violence, not drugs, according to the update from police, which explains why it sounded as if they knew who they were looking for,
Eddie November 19, 2022 (10:18 am)

“,,,obviously it’s drug/gang related…”Obviously it’s GUN related.
- Mike November 19, 2022 (1:27 pm)
  
  Pretty sure the inanimate object didn’t chase the ex girlfriend and try to kill her, but you do you.
  - Kathy November 20, 2022 (2:49 pm)
    
    The point is easy access to guns. Women are 5x more likely to be murdered when her abuser has access to a gun. Abusers are almost always husbands or boyfriends. So restricting access to guns saves lives. And if you don’t think access matters: American women are 21x more likely to be shot and killed than women in other high income countries. (Source: Grinshteyn and Hemenway, 2019).

Chris November 19, 2022 (6:40 am)

I woke up to the sound of the police cruisers. They came FLYING in. They must have been doing freeway speeds, if not faster, coming down 16th Ave. Then about 10-15 gunshots went off in the alleyway and a woman screaming. I could also hear male voices, I want to say it was the police officers communicating with each other, but I’m not sure. Pretty scary stuff. The police have an incredibly hard job. I hope none of those shots hurt anyone or anyone’s property.

WestSeattleSun November 19, 2022 (6:51 am)

Gunfire heard South of 35th and Trenton around 12:40 a.m on Saturday. It could have been 5-10 blocks South as a pure guess. 1 burst of 4 shots then silence. Definitely gunfire with no return shots or police sirens. Not sure if this is related to original post but sharing my recall this morning – 6:50 a.m.

T November 19, 2022 (7:05 am)

Was the shooting in the ally? It woke us up on 17th and sounded like it was right outside our house.

CC November 19, 2022 (7:16 am)

Is there still an open search for this person?

Carl Flanders November 19, 2022 (9:02 am)

I live in the area and keep my exterior lights on. I added 2 more lights on the side of my house after the summer of 2021.

WSB November 19, 2022 (9:31 am)

Police have just posted details on this incident – added above.

Derrick November 19, 2022 (2:38 pm)

If we know who the suspect is, why not name him so people who know him can be on the lookout?
- WSB November 19, 2022 (5:44 pm)
  
  Police have not released a name .

Chief Wiggum November 19, 2022 (9:52 am)

All the comments on the other days post about why cops don’t want to work here and lots of absolute oblivious and ignorant points of view. Same group of people who cower when then see something suspicious, criticize the same cops who literally run towards gunfire for a stranger. It’s not the cops job to get hurt so the suspect can safely resist arrest or escape. Each one of those bullets were meant for a cop. Your local cops. The same ones that you see driving around, in your community meetings and showing up to your issues because you didn’t know who else to call. I’ve never seen so any other profession with so many “experts” and opinions on how to do the job yet so many job openings.

Cheyenne November 19, 2022 (1:00 pm)

Well said, thank you!
Mike November 20, 2022 (3:45 am)

Well I’m proactive and just called on a suspicious person and it’s at 3.30 am and I live here and is very suspicious and the dispatcher thought I was nuts but nothing happens at this time of morning loljust bad business all around

Falcon November 19, 2022 (10:12 am)

Something off about the timing. I heard shots at 2:15a. Confirmed on my video camera, with noise. The timing says 12:30a, and then 45 min later. That’s 1:15a.

Adam November 19, 2022 (11:00 am)

Plz don’t kick me for this, but is it possible the time stamp is off due to daylight savings? I’m just thinking since it’s exactly an hour off in the correct direction that it might be.
m November 19, 2022 (11:55 am)

I live in the block where the suspect got out of his vehicle. The shots woke me up and I immediately called 911 @ 2:17am.
Chris November 19, 2022 (1:03 pm)

I sent a text to the Blog at 2:27. About ten minutes after I heard all the noise.
- WSB November 19, 2022 (2:03 pm)
  
  And thank you for that. (And to the others who texted.) I had gone off watch shortly after 2, just before this all started (luckily it’s a short commute back to the laptop in the living room). There were reports of possible shots earlier in the evening but that happens almost nightly and unless I hear some verification – casings, property damage, injury, eyewitness – we can’t write that it was confirmed.
  - HP November 21, 2022 (1:51 am)
    
    At about 8:20 p.m. there were 7 shots fired right in front of our house 2 blocks East of where the shots were fired a bit after 2am. They sounded identical in sound, number of bullets fired, and rate of discharge other than volume being less when they were further away later. I’ve been wondering if the earlier shooting could have been the same person, but haven’t seen anything reported on the earlier shooting yet, connected or not.
    - K November 21, 2022 (6:58 am)
      
      I’ll confirm this shooting as well. I called it in, but never saw any patrol come to the street or follow up. It was 8 shots, over on 14th. Never heard any people or cars, though.
    - HP November 21, 2022 (3:23 pm)
      
      Police came down 14th with search lights, but no sirens about 15 minutes after those shots.

Chaz Setzer November 19, 2022 (10:35 am)

The area east of the infamous westwood village is a place that needs attention by the SPD. “South Delridge”

m November 19, 2022 (11:51 am)

Thank you for the update WSB.

Jimmy November 20, 2022 (3:10 pm)

There was 3 separate gun shots that night and from 2am to 3:30am there were SDP driving up and down near 16th and henderson.
1:58 2 gun shots 2:05 1 gun shot 2:14 2 SDP in pursuit of black sedan heading towards white center on 16th
2:16 Same 2 SDP units chase black sedan thru 16th and henderson heading towards Westwood village 2:17 Heard rapid 14 to 15 gun shots near Delridge and henderson 3:00 K9 unit walking around alleys

K December 3, 2022 (7:47 am)

Police are saying they arrested the suspect on Thursday.

WSB December 3, 2022 (9:24 am)

Missed that yesterday, one of those stories where they just update the old post and then tweet that they updated it. Will include in Crime Watch later.

Sorry, comment time is over.