Man dies at Rotary Viewpoint Park

| Triangle | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

A nearby resident asked today about an SPD, SFD, and King County Medical Examiner’s Office response last night at Rotary Viewpoint Park (35th SW/SW Alaska). First SFD told us they had responded to a report of a person who had died before medics arrived. SPD said they had no details because officers were still drafting a report. Then the ME’s daily list of investigated deaths arrived, and this case was already on it. They list the 47-year-old man’s cause of death as an accidental overdose of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. There’s no information about whether he had been living at the park, which as we’ve reported has been the site of encampments. According to the ME’s report, which comes out on regular business days, his was one of 11 overdose deaths in King County investigated in the past three days; seven were listed as occurring in residences (addresses are not listed in those cases), two in vehicles, one in a parking lot, and this one in a park.

Lauren July 7, 2025 (6:19 pm)

I’m very saddened to read this.

Seattlite July 7, 2025 (6:57 pm)

“…11 overdose deaths in King County investigated in the past three days…” Tragic. No good comes from pumping poison into one’s body.

Rhonda July 7, 2025 (7:57 pm)

This is why encampment sweeps save lives. People would jump out of their cars to rescue a toddler walking down the middle of 35th. But the same people will ignore a man sitting in a tent on the sidewalk of 35th and feel smug about it.

WS Res July 7, 2025 (9:35 pm)

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That can’t be allowed to stand unchallenged, Rhonda. Your fantasy of sweeps as moving people into safety is just that, a fantasy.Encampment sweeps cost lives. Rather than being with a community of people, some of whom might have Narcan and bother to use it on a friend who’s OD’ing, people get pushed apart and isolated and separated from their possessions (which also might include Narcan) and are then more vulnerable to dealers pushing bad batches on solo folks (can’t observe anyone else using and realize “this is dangerous”). That’s what people on the streets report as their experience of sweeps.
Mariah July 7, 2025 (10:48 pm)

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I work with homeless daily while you make smug comments treating them as lower class citizens. Shame on this post. Sweeping is immoral and wrong.
aa July 8, 2025 (6:34 am)

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I think it’s best if Rhonda speaks only for herself when talking about how someone feels walking by a tent on the sidewalk. You may feel smug walking by, I do not.
- spooled July 8, 2025 (10:39 am)
  
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  I feel unsafe walking by so I’m in agreement with Rhonda.
  - JDB July 8, 2025 (1:05 pm)
    
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    I feel unsafe walking by people like you and Rhonda.
DC July 8, 2025 (3:05 pm)

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I get that when it happens in public it makes you uncomfortable, but seven times as many people died from overdose in houses over the last three days as in parks. The vast majority of violence, drug use, overdose is done by housed people and the bigotry against homeless people is troubling.

Jorca July 7, 2025 (8:02 pm)

Prayers for him and all who loved him in their loss.

BJG July 7, 2025 (8:10 pm)

Thinking there should be access to free Narcan in W Seattle. There is now at the downtown library. Local lives might be saved.

Anw July 7, 2025 (8:47 pm)

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Pretty sure I saw some at Southwest branch. But it’s not always in hand when needed. :(
For What it's Worth July 7, 2025 (9:26 pm)

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All Seattle library branches reportedly have Narcan avaIable while supplies last.
A July 8, 2025 (9:10 am)

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I saw some at the High Point branch recently as well.
datamuse July 8, 2025 (7:00 pm)

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For anyone who wants to carry it as part of their first aid kit, you can get free naloxone and test strips from endoverdose.net. (I’m not affiliated, just had this recommended to me when I took first responder training a few months ago.)

Anonymous July 7, 2025 (9:40 pm)

I want to push back on a few aspects of how this was reported. Calling it an “accidental overdose” doesn’t capture the reality we’re facing with fentanyl. This wasn’t someone making a mistake with a known substance—it was a death caused by an increasingly poisoned drug supply. People often have no idea they’re ingesting fentanyl or how lethal the dose is. That’s not an accident; it’s a public health crisis.

Also, the line about whether the man had been “living at the park” and mentioning encampments—without any evidence—feels speculative and unnecessary. It subtly suggests blame or reinforces stigma about homelessness, when we don’t know anything about this person’s circumstances.

This was someone’s son, maybe someone’s father or brother. We can report the facts while still keeping the humanity and complexity of the situation front and center.

WSB July 7, 2025 (10:06 pm)

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Hi, thank you. “Accident” is the ME’s term, on the line that says “manner of death”; perhaps I should have put it in quotes, but I’ve learned over the years that not everyone understands that meaning of quote marks, and thinks they’re instead signifying skepticism about the quoted term. Anyway, using that word is important because there of course are deliberate drug overdoses too, but the ME says this was not. Yes, agreed that it’s a public-health crisis, as are many of the other causes of untimely death in today’s report. And the reason I mentioned the encampments at the park, frankly, is because if I didn’t say “there’s no info on whether he was residing there” that would be the first question someone would ask. Perhaps I should have just waited for that question and answered it then. As for the victim’s humanity, we are acknowledging that by at least REPORTING this. There is too much that my compatriots in news don’t even bother mentioning but IMO should. – TR
- Wren July 8, 2025 (5:15 pm)
  
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  Thank you for clarifying- I personally don’t need it but I appreciate a person explaining something while not on the defensive. You always seem to be able to do that and maybe it’s exceptional journalism skills and maybe it is your kindness- both I’m sure ❤️ I appreciate you!
Mi g July 8, 2025 (4:20 pm)

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I live near rotary park and over the last 4 months I have reported on the find it fix site numerous times about unauthorized encampment. It is a chronic ongoing problem.

Mariah July 7, 2025 (10:47 pm)

I think it’s sad that one person has a nice tribute with a celebration of life obituary on here and then this story is just treated like the homeless don’t matter and anonymous. I can’t stand how two separate lives are treated.

ltmmgm July 8, 2025 (6:53 am)

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@Mariah, I can’t tell you how to feel/emotions, those are yours and yours only but for not having a story about Rosie’s 107th birthday to which I am assuming you are speaking of WSB and or many of us are not treating these lives any differently, there’s sadness in many for the loss to another person to fentanyl and there is joy to someone who is and has lived a very long life, can you imagine 107 yrs??? Holy smokes!
Let peace be with your heart.
Scarlett July 8, 2025 (7:42 am)

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I didn’t find anything insensitive in the reporting, but because life and death are so and cruel and capricious I think we could all exhibit a little more thoughtfulness towards those, and their families, who are less fortunate.
ACG July 8, 2025 (8:03 am)

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Mariah-if you (or anyone else reading) can get information on this man’s life and write the obituary, WSB would absolutely print it. Perhaps your connections in the homeless community, as you said you work with them everyday, might allow you to do this? I’ve seen that happen a lot where someone passes away and the death is reported here initially with just police or ME information (which is all the info that WSB has at the time) and then a follow up article posted later once WSB gets more information about the deceased from family or friends. My condolences to his man’s family and friends, may he rest in peace.

Jennifer July 8, 2025 (8:43 am)

Mariah,Maybe this is an opportunity for you to use your tremendous empathy, connections and writing skills to offer obituaries/tributes for those unwritten.

Denden July 8, 2025 (11:12 am)

From my position at the motel across the street, I often see
what happens in our neighborhood firsthand. After reading this article about
the incident nearby, I wanted to add my perspective, since situations like this
have become common.

Just last month, there was a similar incident in the alley
behind our building. Someone suffered a drug overdose, and four medic units
along with six police cars responded to the call. The emergency responders put
in a lot of effort and were able to revive the person. At first, the individual
refused to go to the hospital, but after about an hour, they agreed to be
transported for further care.

The next day, I saw the same man back in the alley, engaging
in the same behavior that had led to the previous emergency. He is a familiar
face in the area, often moving between a nearby encampment and the shelter a
block to the east. This has become a regular occurrence, and despite the
efforts of emergency responders, very little seems to change.

What stood out to me that day, was a conversation with one
of the King County Metro Police officers. There is a bus stop near our building
and another across Alaska Street, and these areas see a lot of emergency
activity. The officer mentioned he was leaving his job and moving out of state
because of these ongoing incidents, saying, “No one takes responsibility for
their actions in this city anymore.” The city will lose a good and seasoned
officer.

In my humble opinion, there should be a more decisive
approach when responding to these situations. When someone is clearly a danger
to themselves and others—such as in the case of a drug overdose—treatment at
the scene and immediate transport to a hospital or treatment facility ought to
be mandatory, with no option to refuse. The provisions of the Involuntary
Treatment Act allow for someone to be held up to 120 hours for stabilization
and evaluation. At the conclusion of that period, it seems reasonable that the
individual should face a clear choice: enter a treatment program or face legal
consequences, such as jail time, especially when caught using and possessing a
controlled substance. By presenting only these two options, the hope is that we
might steer more people toward recovery, while also addressing the ongoing
risks to the community. It may not be a perfect solution, but it would at least
move us out of the cycle of repeated emergencies without meaningful change.

To the folks who run the shelter just east of us, first and
foremost, thank you for the essential services you provide to those in need
within our community. Your daily efforts make a real difference to many people
facing difficult times.

However, I would like to address a growing concern shared by
several neighbors and myself regarding takeout food distributed from the
shelter. While the intention behind offering meals is certainly compassionate,
allowing food to be taken off-site has unfortunately resulted in a significant
amount of litter. Many of us find ourselves regularly picking up garbage left
behind in the surrounding streets and alleys, creating an ongoing challenge for
residents and local businesses alike.

Please consider adopting—and consistently enforcing—a policy
that prohibits food takeout. Encouraging meals to be enjoyed on-site could help
reduce the amount of waste in our neighborhood, foster a sense of community,
and even offer more opportunities for positive engagement with shelter staff
and services. By working together and rethinking how food is distributed, we
can help create a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming environment for all.

And lastly, I would like to address a request to the city
park department regarding Rotary Viewpoint Park at 35th SW and SW Alaska. I
urge you to clearly post the park’s hours of operation for this location. Doing
so would demonstrate due diligence in enforcing the no-camping ordinance within
the park and send a clear message about the city’s commitment to maintaining
public spaces. As the gateway to West Seattle, Rotary Viewpoint Park should
reflect the pride and care of our community. Unfortunately, its current state
remains disappointing, and the neglect is evident to both residents and
visitors. With proper signage and consistent enforcement, we can start to
restore the park’s reputation and ensure it serves as a welcoming entry point
to our neighborhood. It’s time we treated this important public space with the
respect it deserves.

Anonymous July 8, 2025 (1:04 pm)

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I can guarantee you that the officer is not moving out of the state because of these problems. This exact example occurs in every city in the United States. Additionally, the people who work for your motel, as well as the residents, continuously smoke outside your building and just toss the cigarettes and whatever else’s they smoke on the sidewalk. Disgusting.
Ihhh July 8, 2025 (1:32 pm)

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Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I echo and support your recommendations. I live around the area and have stopped using the running track because of a couple of incidents earlier this year. Mariah, I want to help people get out of this situation and would also welcome your recommendations. However, I think the community also deserves and pays for public spaces that can be enjoyed in a safe and healthy way.
Little One July 8, 2025 (11:02 pm)

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Yes – Thank you, Denden, for sharing! I agree that letting people continue dangerous behavior without consequence does not work, or at least is not working with the present crisis. I have been saddened and upset at the activity in this area. More needs to be done than letting this spiral.
Katie July 9, 2025 (2:34 pm)

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The shelter has been misappropriating veteran funds to house and feed the homeless, in addition to asking for donations from the community. This is why there are no overnight stays any longer. Several businesses and apartment communities in the Triangle/Jefferson Square area have recently formed a community safety group that meets on a regular cadence with SPD. There’s been an SPD community liaison assigned to our neighborhood; what good it will do, I don’t know. I report the fentanyl usage and now dealing out of the bus stop across from the motel but they have yet to ever respond.