UPDATE: Short-lived ‘scenes of violence’ response on Beach Drive; earlier Alki gunfire injures 1

4:29 AM: A Seattle Fire “scenes of violence” response is arriving in the 4600 block of Beach Drive SW. So far all we know is they are responding to a report of a shooting. … They’re still sorting out the details and one officer has just told dispatch they’ve found shell casings in the 2400 block of Alki SW.

4:35 AM: Dispatch has just canceled the response to Beach Drive, while SFD is dealing with shooting victims in another part of the city. They also have reports of people showing up at two downtown hospitals with gunshot wounds, no word if related to this initial callout or the non-West Seattle locations with which police are dealing.

4:57 AM: No further radio exchanges explaining the Beach Drive dispatch nor further discussion of the reported Alki casings.

5:08 AM: Listening back to archived audio from the original dispatch, someone had called 911 saying they heard yelling, a shot, and a person saying they were shot in the arm; then there was a mention that the purported victim might be “on a park bench,” (That part of Beach Drive is the Me-Kwa-Mooks/Emma Schmitz Overlook area.) But no one was found in the area.

5:32 AM: Going back further into the archived audio, the Alki casings are somewhat explained – there was a dispatch around 4 am for a crowd of 50 or so people at the beach, followed moments later by multiple calls of gunfire. No one found or reported injured there; the Beach Drive call was 20 minutes later and more than a mile away.

5:50 AM: An officer just told dispatch that one of the shooting victims that showed up at Harborview Medical Center was in fact injured in the Alki gunfire, a male victim with an arm wound.

Lp August 20, 2023 (4:33 am)

The sirens woke me up. Will see if there are any updates tomorrow. Thanks WSB!

John August 20, 2023 (4:42 am)

Woke my grandmother up, she woke me up. Couldn’t believe the amount of sirens. It’s both distressing and refreshing

John August 20, 2023 (4:40 am)

Listening to the scanner. There’s been a BAD shooting at a Hookah lounge Rainier Ave S. 3 shot and a 4th hit in the arm

WSB August 20, 2023 (4:45 am)

Yes, that’s one of the locations to which we allude. But what happened there isn’t clear either. Extremely chaotic, even compared to the usual chaos of early incident responses.
- John August 20, 2023 (4:50 am)
  
  Oh for sure, I just mentioned the little bit I did hear
Steph August 20, 2023 (1:24 pm)

Maybe Alki residents can get their own community spike strips and shut these offenders down.

Brad August 20, 2023 (4:41 am)

We heard 15-20 shots over two two quick bursts of gunfire. Very rapid and uniform sounding bursts as if from an automatic weapon. Not cool.

Concerned August 20, 2023 (11:13 am)

A serious issue I am concerned with is the rise of popularity of “auto shear” devices used popular among certain crowds. They illegally make a weapon automatic.SPD has busted numerous of these as recent as last week and even in west Seattle (remember the LA fitness incident?)Whats more concerning is, when SPD bust kids with these devices, they don’t mention it and generally only find out via photos. They also never list charges out related to those, (fairly serious felony).
- Rhonda August 20, 2023 (12:55 pm)
  
  The device is called an “auto sear” and it’s simply what makes a machine gun fire automatically with one, continuous pull of the trigger. Those are nothing new, very rarely encountered, and not our primary concern. What we’re much more concerned about is the rising frequency of illegal “switch” devices that can be attached to modern striker-fired pistols. We’re seeing those in more and more apprehensions of gang members, armed robbers, and drug traffickers lately. It’s a federal felony crime to be in possession of either a switch or auto sear. Switch devices usually come from outside of the country or are illegally manufactured from online instructions. The penalties for trafficking these devices are severe but enforcement and prosecutions need to stepped up as their proliferation is rapidly increasing. Many of these switch-installed pistols are in the hands of kids as young as 13 – 14.
  - Mike August 20, 2023 (6:34 pm)
    
    https://www.atf.gov/our-history/internet-arms-trafficking
    Being in possession of a “Glock switch” is punishable in itself of 10 years in a Federal prison. Using it is additional, using it in a crime is additional to that, etc. If prosecutors and judges would apply the ATF rule of law, you’d see these people in prison without bail for the majority of rest of their lives. We have many laws around firearms that can already stop most violent crime, by the same offender’s over and over, when they’re actually enforced.

Mel August 20, 2023 (5:03 am)

Same!

Mel August 20, 2023 (5:09 am)

Just heard more sirens but I guess it’s unrelated.?

WiseWoman August 20, 2023 (6:33 am)

For 4 hours there was single cars racing and showing off, burning out, flying down Alki strip (not the nice restored old classic cars) just a group of kids or adults that act like kids. Idk why the police are not patrolling at all during those 4 hrs. Everyone knows Alki is crazy when its Friday or Saturday and even Sunday on 3day weekends. After the 15-20 shots of rapid fire (a clip not necessarily auto or semi-auto) high pitch shots then some of the car drivers take off in both directions and or following the shooter. Its nuts how they are cruising AlKi. Its a group of about 10 cars. I just don’t understand why they like doing this.

Mike August 20, 2023 (9:12 am)

“Idk why the police are not patrolling at all during those 4 hrs.”Because there’s not enough resources to dedicate to it. It’s that simple.
- Jim P. August 20, 2023 (12:42 pm)
  
  The issue for many of is this becoming the catch all for any situation like this where there is ongoing, known crime and violence.Yet a dozen police and more will show up for someone having a “crisis” and public meltdown/overdose and spend hours trying to talk them down from throwing rocks off a freeway overpass.
flimflam August 20, 2023 (11:39 am)

There are simply not enough police to actively patrol anywhere, really. Woefully understaffed for years and years now…

Friend O'Dinghus August 20, 2023 (8:22 am)

When are these pinheads going to grow up and see that time is a wasting? There are no dress rehearsals in life, and time spent hanging out with your wannabe thug friends is time that isn’t being spent entering the workforce, improving your marketable skills, finding a life-mate, and beginning your retirement nest egg. Many of these youngsters will never achieve these, let’s admit it, rather average goals because they waited too long to begin the transition to adulthood. These predictably will be some of the same folks who will complain a few years from now about how inequity held them back. Nope. You were out competed by your peers. Bested in life’s long game. Hopefully one or two of you out there have read this comment and actually get it. Apply yourselves because with the advances in AI, your going to need it.

Beach Drive Neighbor August 20, 2023 (8:47 am)

My husband woke up to the sound of one gunshot near Me Kwa Mooks. We noticed the two individuals on the park bench having a loud conversation.

Pdavis August 20, 2023 (9:41 am)

I was down at Alki beach, and there was a very large gathering of hundreds of people to the west of the bathhouse. There were commercial tenrs, people speaking over microphones, music…. and I saw a sign mentioning the word Fuzz related to the organization. I’m wondering if the participants of that gathering were the ones with the cars and guns? It was quiet a lot of people, and very loud even at 7 PM.. not sure what they were getting together for/the event. But it was very large……Those of you that mentioned gunshots, it would be helpful if you reveal where they were heard specifically. ….. with the police: they have no way to deal with the crowd that size…..

WSB August 20, 2023 (12:24 pm)

You’re referring to many hours earlier, when there was both the Alki Beach Sunset Run (presented by FIZZ Northwest and covered here – we were there) and the annual family picnic for the Eazy Duz It Car Club, with an awesome display of cars (they also participated in the Lowrider Block Party in South Delridge two weeks ago). That was 6 pm last night; this all happened 10 hours later.
- Pdavis August 20, 2023 (8:14 pm)
  
  Good to know: I went the opposite direction given how crowded and loud it was

Alki resident August 20, 2023 (10:00 am)

It’s time to reopen Alki until 11 pm like it used to be. There’s no reason to punish the rest of us for a few bad apples that show up well after midnight.

Bob August 20, 2023 (8:26 pm)

Sure…things are going so well again at Alki this summer. Let’s keep it open even later.
- Rhonda August 20, 2023 (10:05 pm)
  
  Did you see in the story where the Alki shooting happened well after 4am this morning? Several hours after the beach closure? The earlier closures aren’t stopping crime at Alki.
- Alki resident August 21, 2023 (7:17 am)
  
  There’s zero reason to close down at 10 pm. 11pm used to be the cut off time to send people home. It’s been 11 pm for years. We should be able to enjoy our beaches until 11 plain and simple.

Tired of the BS August 21, 2023 (10:37 am)

50 people on the beach at 4 am, did anyone not think that this wouldn’t end well?

Alki resident August 21, 2023 (6:13 pm)

4 people or 50, the amount doesn’t increased the chance like you want it too. It only takes one gunman. Not 50

Sorry, comment time is over.