West Seattle, Washington
03 Wednesday
We’re continuing to go through court files of cases we hadn’t checked in a while, and found another one has been resolved – the shooting death of a West Seattle man near the SODO Costco store in July 2022.
68-year-old Bob Jensen, described by friends as a longtime West Seattleite, was shot and killed after getting out of his vehicle on 4th Avenue South to confront a driver who reportedly refused to let him merge at a spot where two lanes narrowed to one. Police said the man who shot him, then-38-year-old Angel A. Valderrama of Kirkland, told police he shot Mr. Jensen because he was holding something that might have been a weapon. None was found on Mr. Jensen’s person or in his pickup. Valderrama was not arrested at the time but was charged with second-degree murder a month later. Court documents show that Valderrama was found not guilty by a King County Superior Court jury last month, after a trial that lasted less than two weeks. Jurors had the option to convict him of manslaughter but found him not guilty of that too; the trial minutes show they deliberated for a day and a half. Jurors also had to decide an extra issue, whether the defendant proved that the use of force was lawful; a “yes” verdict would have entitled him to compensation for lost wages while jailed. The jury’s decision was “no.”
We received both of these reports today from readers who wanted to alert the community:
INDECENT EXPOSURE: The teenage victim’s mother sent this:
A couple of weeks ago, while my 15-year-old daughter was walking home from school by Holy Rosary. A car pulled up along side of her and stopped. She looked at the person and realized that he was masturbating while staring at her. She ran as fast as she could to our house. She described this person as older male 40-50 yo., black hair, dark complexion. The car was light blue and was beat up. My neighbor provided me a photo of the car driving.
My daughter confirmed this was the car. Unfortunately, it doesn’t capture much. I have made a police report. So incredibly horrible for her to be assaulted and so angry that this coward is getting away with this.
The police report number is 23-358983.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: From the victim:
I wanted to share a harassment event that happened to me on 12/28/23 at approx 3:40 p, I was screamed at by a man (appeared to be in mid-late 40s?, dark hair and skin, slim to medium build) in a truck at the intersection of 35th Ave SW and Thistle who said “man, you’d be fun to [sexually explicit term].”. It appears that this is likely a repeat offender – with something similar happening to my friend who lives at the same intersection with a similar vehicle last year. It’s highly concerning that this has happened again and the things being said are increasingly explicit and want other women to be aware of this person and vehicle.
(Photo from 12/28/23 incident)
Color: Black, Model: Maybe Silverado, Year: Older, Type: Truck
In the 2022 event, the victim reported that the man in the truck parked and watched her mow, then showed that he was recording her on his phone, and hollered (in crude language) that he would watch the video and gratify himself. When the recent victim posted on a social-media site earlier today, she said, another person commented, “This same person shouted something similar to me on Roxbury and 29th on Wednesday around 3:30 pm.” The recent victim’s police-report number is 23-373893.
Thanks for the photos! (Above, from Curry Gibson; below, from Lynn Hall.) The rainbow toward the north/east preceded tonight’s pink-gold sunset.
(added) And Gene Pavola sent this sunset photo:
This followed a showery day, but the forecast is good news if you’re going out New Year’s Eve, especially if you plan to watch the Space Needle fireworks, drone, and light show, from near or (West Seattle viewpoints) far – rain isn’t anticipated to return before Monday night at the earliest. (That’s good news for the New Year’s Day Alki Beach Polar Bear Swim, too.)
P.S. See what else is up for New Year’s Eve/Day via our West Seattle Holiday Guide!
You don’t have to be a Boeing employee to sing in the Boeing Employees Choir! In fact, the choir is casting a wide net for new members, and the first step is to show up for one of its West Seattle rehearsals. Here’s the announcement from the choir’s marketing director Mika Kitamura:
The Boeing Employees Choir has Open Rehearsals January 9, 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 2024 (Tuesdays), in West Seattle @ 6:30 PM at the West Seattle American Legion Hall, 3618 SW Alaska St.
The Boeing Employees Choir strives to be an exceptional concert choir with an international reputation, reflecting the world-class standards Boeing has set for its airplanes and other exciting products. Our next international tour to Greece is set for Fall 2024 and we would love any new qualified members to join us!
Read more about the process of joining the choir here.
That’s Ryan, creator of the music-synched lights at “The 4040 House,” handing out candy canes on Christmas Eve. The photo was sent to us by a reader who visited that night, and sent others too:
We have the occasion to publish them because Ryan asked us to let you knoe there’s just a few more nights to see the display (previously featured here two weeks ago):
The final nights of the 2023 sound and light show at 4040 House are coming up?
The show runs every night from 6-9 through New Year’s Day.
A very special thanks to those who have stoped by and a major shout-out to all of our neighbors on 47th AVE SW.
The display has a website, 4040house.com – full address is 4040 47th SW, between Dakota and Andover, and a reminder: “We ask if people drive down, please park on Dakota or Andover and walk over.”
Thanks for the tips. Multiple readers have messaged about another crash near Walking On Logs, toward the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. One lane is reported to be blocked. No major backup reported. The SFD response closed fairly quickly, which indicates no major injuries either.
(Hydrangea blooming in winter – photographed by Jerry Simmons)
Our three-day weekend begins with these notes, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FREE GROUP RUN, NEW YEAR’S EVE-EVE EDITION: Start your Saturday with this weekly West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) group run! “Come for our last group run of 2023! We have had quite a year. We will have sparkling cider and champagne for toasting afterward, as well as pastries.” All levels welcome. Meet at the shop by 8 am.
HEAVILY MEDITATED: Arrive by 8:50 am for community meditation at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska). Free event.
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – see full details in our calendar listing.
BUSINESS FESTIVAL DURING KWANZAA, DAY 2: 11 am-7 pm, workshops and vendors at the Washington State Black Legacy Institute (2656 42nd SW), as previewed here. See today’s event lineup on this RSVP page.
FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at 11 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2234 SW Orchard)
VISCON CELLARS: Tasting room open – wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). For New Year’s, you can try their first-ever sparkling wine.
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM CLOSED: The home of West Seattle history is on holiday break, reopening next Friday (January 5).
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar open 1-8 pm, north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
ASTRA LUMINA: Celestially inspired light show starts at 5 pm on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. Admission prices vary – tickets and info here.
BURGERS & BEATS: Saturday night food and music at Revelry Room – burgers start at 6, DJs at 9. (4547 California SW, alley side)
LIVE MUSIC @ C & P COFFEE: Jared Mitchell & The Wingtips, “a singer/songwriter show featuring 4-5 Seattle artists,” 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). No cover, all ages.
‘MAFIA’ WITH COMEDIANS: “Laugh Until You Die” is a gaming and comedy event for New Year’s Eve-Eve, 7 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). A few tickets left as of early today!
ALL-AGES OPEN MIC: 7-10 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way)
WEST END GIRLS’ YEAR-END SHOW: West Seattle’s drag extravaganza – hosted by Cookie Couture – wraps up 2023 at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), doors at 7, show at 8, tickets online or at the door.
Planning a concert, open house, show, sale, event, meeting, seminar, reading, field trip, fundraiser, class, game, or ? If the community’s welcome, get your event on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
12:17 AM: Police are investigatng a reported shooting at Delridge/Findlay. One man is reported wounded, “shot in the back” per SFD dispatch. No suspect description yet except “male in a red shirt.” Updates to come.
12:26 AM: Police believe the shooting happened in front of the Shell station (which is closed for the night); they told dispatch they’ve found a casing. They’re also closing Delridge Way at the scene.
12:34 AM: The victim, a 20-year-old man, is being taken to Harborview by SFD medics. Police, meantime, now believe they’re looking for two suspects; a K-9 team is helping search.
12:47 AM: If you live in the area, you’ll hear police PA announcements and siren “chirping,” which is meant as a warning to possibly hiding suspect(s) that they’re nearby with a dog.
1:34 AM: So far, no success. Meantime, the street is open again.
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