WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire at 35th/Webster, 1 man hurt

| Crime | Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

3:36 PM: Thanks for the tip. Police are at 35th/Webster investigating gunfire. The 911 call came in around quarter till 3. At the scene, we noted that police have found multiple casings.

The area taped off is on the west side of the intersection. Traffic on 35th is getting through but Webster is blocked there.

3:40 PM: Update – we’ve just talked to a police supervisor. Police say one person was injured and taken to the hospital. They say a “blue sedan” was involved.

7:29 PM: There was no SFD response for a victim, and finally getting a chance to listen to dispatch audio (this happened while we were out on an unrelated story), we know why – the victim “showed up” at Harborview 20 minutes or so later. Also, officers told dispatch about bullet damage in an apartment building on SW Webster by the scene. And police were investigating a possibly related blue Honda Civic found, empty, at Westwood Village, with “bloody clothing” inside. … SPD says in an update on SPD Blotter that “multiple” buildings were hit and that the victim is a 30-year-old man.

wink&nod October 23, 2023 (3:49 pm)

My husband and I live a block away and heard this. There were so many shots that it sounded like automatic or semi-automatic gunfire. Given how many pedestrians and businesses there are there, it’s a miracle more weren’t injured.

Del Griffith October 23, 2023 (3:54 pm)

Right by OLG right around when school gets out. Sad stuff.

Neighbor October 23, 2023 (3:55 pm)

I thought this was suspicious and now I know why – I saw a blue sedan drive by quickly on 28th Ave sw coming from mrytle towards Othello. They turned left going east down Othello. Car had no plates and the two individuals I saw in the car had handkerchiefs, or something similar, over their faces. Im pretty sure I saw the car before I heard the gunshots when I returned home from a walk.

The King October 23, 2023 (6:01 pm)

Sure have noticed a lot of vehicles with no plates and all tinted windows the last few years. I just give them a lot of room or immediately find an alternate path to where I need to go.
- WSDUDEMAN October 23, 2023 (9:16 pm)
  
  Remember when Police stopped cars that had no plates/registration or were otherwise unroadworthy?

Mike October 23, 2023 (4:04 pm)

Heard this happen while school was getting out down the street. Police were there pretty immediately. Sounded like quite a few shots fired in a short amount of time. Hope everyone is okay

WStoday October 23, 2023 (4:16 pm)

I heard the shots all the way down in the High Point neighborhood. I checked all the sites, but didn’t see a post anywhere so I figured i just heard a tv or machinery nearby. It was about 10-15 shots in rapid succession. And before anyone makes incorrect claims, it was definitely NOT from a “fully automatic machine gun”. It was a semi-automatic pistol.

Lindsey October 23, 2023 (6:05 pm)

If you think you hear gunshots, just call 911, even if you aren’t 100% sure. Often dispatch will tell you that other people are calling it in as well. That’s what SPD has told us over the years. (I’m no gun expert.)

Gunner October 23, 2023 (4:39 pm)

I heard the gunfire as well, I’m down on 31st ave. Sounded like a rapid succession of firecrackers. Many sirens shortly after.

Erin98126 October 23, 2023 (4:49 pm)

I heard this. I’m about 4 blocks away. I would guess around 11 shots. I was truly scared. I do not like feeling scared in my own home/neighborhood/city. I worry as I’m driving that someone is going to carjack me at gun point. Or I’m going to get caught in the crossfire of a shooting like this. Or someone is going to attack me on the sidewalk and demand my phone and wallet. I feel helpless. There’s nothing I can do except hope that none of these things happen to me. I am not by nature an anxious or worrisome person. I wish the people who CAN do something WOULD do something – NOW.

Lauren October 23, 2023 (9:37 pm)

Erin, check out Moms Demand Action. It’s a national group advocating for gun safety and the local chapter is pretty active.
- Tony October 23, 2023 (11:09 pm)
  
  Ya…they’re definitely deterring crime.
  - Lauren October 24, 2023 (7:41 am)
    
    They do more than comments in the internet, Tony ;)
  - Oh Seattle October 24, 2023 (7:50 am)
    
    Ya… better to do nothing but post passive aggressive comments. The Seattle Way!

DennyMom October 23, 2023 (4:55 pm)

I was picking up kiddo from Denny middle school around 2:50ish and heard what sounded like a car doing donuts/peeling out for a couple minutes straight. It sounded like it was coming from around the Southwest Pool on Thistle. I peeked through an alley and saw what appeared to be smoke. It was very loud and scary sounding. Not sure if related but the time kind of matches. Maybe someone else witnessed something?

waikikigirl October 23, 2023 (7:38 pm)

We were on our way to the WWV Post Office and I saw the smoke and smelled burning rubber so you Denny Mom are correct on a car doing donuts. Related to the gunshots???
Westwood October 23, 2023 (9:33 pm)

That is a near daily occurrence there. We’re more than used to it now.
Corla October 24, 2023 (12:18 pm)

This seems to happen everyday lately. This little black car. One kid does it then they stop and then switch with another kid.

B October 23, 2023 (5:01 pm)

Pretty scary given that Roxhill is nearby and students had just been released. I’d love an update from SPD once they know more.

LAdmiral October 23, 2023 (5:26 pm)

Isn’t “blue sedan” the same description of car that’s been involved in some recent purse snatching?

Claudia Williams October 24, 2023 (6:36 am)

I observed the mysterious “blue sedan” with no plates last Thursday in South Park driving aggressively towards White Center throwing clothing, papers etc out the window as they were making their way up Cloverdale. I’m sure something was amiss but how do you report a car without plates?

Neighbor October 23, 2023 (5:30 pm)

Saw a tweet from SPD at 2:41 someone shot at on Morgan. Wonder if it was the same car involved.

WSB October 23, 2023 (8:05 pm)

Keep in mind regarding Tweets by Beat, especially for gunfire/suspected gunfire incidents, there are multiple incident numbers because multiple people in multiple locations called it in after hearing it.

34th October 23, 2023 (5:53 pm)

This happened a block away as I was walking my second grader home on 34th between Webster and Othello. Just minutes after school got out. This is beyond unacceptable and sad.

S October 23, 2023 (6:11 pm)

The amount of shootings happening is totally unacceptable- not that I think any shootings would be acceptable! My kid uses the nearby metro bus stop when coming home from school, I’m so glad they were not there during that time today.

Savannah October 23, 2023 (6:58 pm)

I too … am scared and simply horrified by all that is going on … and as a woman and with children! I no longer carry a purse. It’s just all … TOO much.

Rhonda October 23, 2023 (7:01 pm)

This is OUTRAGEOUS. That’s exactly how the woman working inside the Burien chiropractic office was killed from a stray bullet from a gang shootout a block away. 35th and Webster/Sunrise Heights is my old neighborhood for many years. This sort of thing never used to happen there, even in the dangerous mid-90s.

What will it take? October 23, 2023 (7:06 pm)

I am tired of waiting for the inevitable to happen. Sitting at home and hoping that things improve, or commenting that “this needs to stop” or “people need to do better” or “the police/lawmakers need to act.”
Nothing is going to spontaneously change. This will not get better until we make this better. Ourselves. No-one is going to fix this for us. Tolerance and justice are social contracts. If you use a weapon to threaten, steal from, or hurt someone, then you have lost the right to tolerance. You must be removed from society as quickly as possible. I don’t care about your reasons. I used to care. I used to believe that everyone deserves a chance. But I do not believe that anymore.What will it take to spur real action? Who has to die before these dangerous, daily crimes are stopped with effective actions instead of empty words?If the police and lawmakers are unable to do this then, at some point, law-abiding citizens who have had enough will take matters into their own hands. I sincerely hope this does not happen. That is not the society I want to live in. But sitting around and hoping and talking and blaming is clearly not going to change anything.

WSDUDEMAN October 23, 2023 (9:18 pm)

Bingo.
Tony October 23, 2023 (11:10 pm)

Perfectly said!
they October 24, 2023 (4:45 am)

ditto…
Canton October 24, 2023 (7:26 pm)

Spot on.

walnut October 23, 2023 (8:10 pm)

Imagine Westwood Village is loaded with security cameras, hope they can find some more information. .

WSDAD October 23, 2023 (8:27 pm)

Wow. This is crazy. My kids school bus stops here. I picked up my kid 45 min after this happened. There was no tape and the scene had been cleared. This has to be gang related. 😥

I don't know what it will take October 23, 2023 (9:06 pm)

This is a new phenomena. These are not WS isolated incidences, nor are they Seattle broad-based problems. Not even isolated US problems. These are world problems. Youth crimes, many violent, are happening throughout Asia, Europe, Central America, South America… EVERYWHERE ON THIS PLANET. “There’s nothing more dangerous than a person with nothing to lose.” You can interpret this statement however you choose. But in my opinion, no police force or government is going to solve this problem. I contemplate this incredible dilemma, and I can’t come up with a solution. I too, am afraid…

WSDUDEMAN October 23, 2023 (9:21 pm)

Not true. Police can solve the problem. It’s not like this everywhere. Some places actually enforce laws that are on the books. It works.
- Anne October 24, 2023 (7:39 am)
  
  What can police do to solve the problem?
Lauren October 23, 2023 (9:42 pm)

… in no way shape or form is this a “new phenomena.” The amount of hyperbole in this comment section, my goodness
Jenn October 25, 2023 (6:29 am)

I’d never seen a gun (outside of hunting or on a police belt) or heard a gunshot before I moved to the US. I lived in two other countries. This is an American problem.

R-n-B October 23, 2023 (9:37 pm)

I pick my husband up from work at Westwood Village and I’ve seen the same group of males in their early to mid-twenties congregating around several parked cars near MOD Pizza in the mid-afternoon hours. When I’ve had to sit in the parking lot and wait for my husband to get off work, more than once they’ve sent a pair, usually a young woman and a taller male, to walk past my car and scout the situation. I don’t know if they’re looking to sell me something or just suspicious for other reasons but their behavior is always jumpy and erratic. I saw them there again today only this time I saw two of their cars park further away in front of the pet food store, one of the drivers stood around for a bit, the other driver handed something off to him then walked away toward the side of the new Five Guys where I suspect even more of them were hanging out. That’s when the scouting pair turned up. Same faces sent as per usual to check out my car. They weren’t subtle at all, they circled back three times walking past my car and speaking into a phone as they passed. This was around 2 p.m. A couple of minutes after the two cars parked further away near the pet food store, a silver colored KIA mini-van with missing plates pulled up briefly, blocking traffic, the driver looked in my direction, then took off because cars were starting to pull up behind him. It was a sketchy situation so I managed to get one of the license plates and reported it online to SPD.

waikikigirl October 24, 2023 (6:43 am)

I think what you are seeing is a drug deal, especially once you saw a hand off. Them circling your car maybe they thought you were a/the “customer”. Just a wild guess.
DD October 24, 2023 (7:36 am)

Scary indeed but excellent information to share with all of us as well as SPD. Since they seem to be “regulars “ an unmarked SPD visit and observation of these vehicles and individuals would be a great opportunity to r/o drug deals, stolen vehicles, weapons possession, etc. my biggest concern is your own safety as the questionable individuals have clearly identified you and your car. May be time to arrange to meet your husband in a different pickup spot.
HS October 24, 2023 (7:39 am)

Thank you for being observant and reporting that.
Terremoto October 24, 2023 (8:49 am)

Very scary. Obviously intended to intimidate you. WWV needs to address this — somehow.
GBH October 24, 2023 (9:58 am)

Unsolicited advice : change where you park to pick up your husband immediately. If you have observed their routine, they have observed yours. Perhaps you can park at the nearby library and your husband can call you when he’s ready. FYI, this incident warranted a call to 911. Suspicious persons, suspicious activity. You were being cased. You saw a car arrive that was obviously stolen that was possibly looking to rob you. I have started calling 911 when I see a stolen car in West Seattle. Kia or Hyundai, no plates, usually multiple people in the car, and they’re always driving erratically (speeding, weaving, running lights). I see on the SeattlePD twitter that it gets dispatched as “reckless driving” and they do dispatch immediately. Car theft is a Class B felony. These cars are often stolen to commit armed robbery which is a Class A felony. Most of these recent armed robberies in West Seattle have targeted women. Be proactive and assertive – call it in.

MyThruppence October 24, 2023 (6:47 am)

The ultimate power rests in our hands. Your vote in the upcoming city council elections is what can change all of this. Remember the slow, slow, slow adoption of the new state drug law? That’s on the city council, not our beleaguered and understaffed police force. Remember the insistence that the city attorney’s office look the other way on serious crimes? That’s on the city council not SPD. Remember the juvenile detention facility that would have provided at least a small dose of negative reinforcement to dangerous teenagers? Again, politicians, not SPD. If you want change in how we handle the present reality, vote and vote wisely. We could be well on our way to having our city back to the way it was by this time next year if we elect effective leadership who is determined to bring consequence back into the crime equation.

Sunrise neighbor October 24, 2023 (7:43 am)

Saw the incoming market was hit as well as a window on the corner of the commercial strip

Concerned October 24, 2023 (8:34 am)

This is close to home and scary anytime but middle of the day with three schools in just a few blocks releasing is extra scary. Do we know if the victim was a random citizen on the street in the area or known to the shooters?

rico October 24, 2023 (9:30 am)

Good to see people express outrage about the unacceptable public safety crisis. Unfortunately, those who are inflicting the experiment of restorative justice upon this once nice city are proceeding forth regardless of the collateral damage. I find it amazing that there are no journalist demanding to get the political leaders to at least make a lame comment about these issues. The silence of the city leaders speaks volumes about their lack of interest in our safety. Particularly the West Seattle representative, who also happens to chair the public safety committee, what a joke, unfortunately not a funny joke.