UPDATE: Man shot at South Delridge encampment

| Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

(Added: Photo by Tim Durkan)

10:54 AM: Police are arriving in an alley in the 9200 block of 17th SW [map] for a report that a person has been shot. Updates to come.

10:56 AM: Officers have told dispatch that they’ve found the victim, a man in his 30s who has a gunshot wound “to his back.” One witness told them it happened in a tent in the alley between 17th and 18th.

11 AM: SFD has sent a “scenes of violence” response as is standard when an incident is reported to have involved a weapon. Police are bringing in a K9 team and they’re setting up “containment” for blocks around.

11:05 AM: The only descriptioh details so far is male, Black, “light-skinned,” short “balding” hair, black T-shirt that might have a Nike swoosh, dark blue shirt or jacket over it, blue jeans, last seen on foot eastbound from the scene. Possibly in his teens. …

(Added: Photo first posted in a comment by MJJJr, SFD medics wheeling gurney with victim)

SFD medics are taking the victim to Harborview Medical Center.

11:39 AM: Police say a business at or near the White Center side of 15th/Roxbury saw the likely suspect walking by half an hour or so ago, wearing a dark pulled-up hoodie, headed east.

(Added: Photo first posted in a comment by Todd, officers with K9)

12:40 PM: No arrest yet, but police believe they know who they’re looking for, and they’re still searching. Neighbors, meantime, say the encampment, on a vacant lot, has long been a problem; our archives show the site had an abandoned house that was the scene of multiple fires in the mid-teens until demolition.

1:35 PM: SFD spokesperson Kaila Lafferty tells WSB that the victim, in his early 30s, was in critical condition when transported.

7:52 PM: Police published a summary on SPD Blotter tonight; the only information it includes besides what we’ve already reported is the reminder: “Anyone with information is asked to call the Seattle Police Department Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.”

Neighbor April 28, 2026 (11:06 am)

So many sirens. Hope everyone is ok

MJJJr April 28, 2026 (11:37 am)

9218 Delridge SW unhoused encampment shooting in broad daylight.

MJJJr April 28, 2026 (11:39 am)

Shooting location

MJJJr April 28, 2026 (11:41 am)

Shooting victim wheeled away by first responders

MJJJr April 28, 2026 (11:47 am)

9218 Delridge Way SW, before medics arrive as man lays on ground prone to gunshot.

MT April 28, 2026 (12:00 pm)

First, my thoughts are with the victim. I really hope they’re okay and able to recover from something like this. No one should have to go through that.At the same time, it’s been really frustrating for those of us living nearby. This encampment has been growing for months, and we’ve consistently reported concerns about arguments, altercations, suspected criminal activity, and frequent EMS responses. Despite all of that, there hasn’t been much visible action, even though the City is clearly aware of what’s happening.This is public land managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation, and it’s had similar issues in the past. It’s not just about neighbors feeling unsafe, it’s also about the people living in the encampment and the conditions they’re dealing with. The lack of a timely response or a clear plan doesn’t help anyone.It’s also hard not to think about the bigger picture. There’s been reporting that the King County Regional Homelessness Authority couldn’t account for around $13 million in public funds after an audit. Whatever the explanation ends up being, that kind of news makes it harder to feel confident that these situations are being handled the way they should be.The City really needs to step up and do better for everyone involved.

WSB April 28, 2026 (12:08 pm)

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What is the official address of the parcel, do you know? Looking up its history.
- Wp April 28, 2026 (12:13 pm)
  
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  The encampment is at 9222 Delridge next to Ty’s Auto repair. Please report this an other encampment’s or abandoned RVs to the city and download the find it fix it app
  - k April 28, 2026 (12:24 pm)
    
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    I think it’s technically 9218 Delridge Way SW (or it’s both). It was slated for development, then sold to the city a couple years later. Been empty for some time.
    - WSB April 28, 2026 (12:32 pm)
      
      The version of Parcel Viewer that I use is currently misbehaving. Our archives show multiple fires at a 9222 Delridge house in the mid-’10s, including a deadly fire.
    - K April 28, 2026 (1:10 pm)
      
      WSB’s previous stories about the lot include developments that listed it at 9218 Delridge. Not sure it’s just ambiguous or what. Looking at the sale documents to the city for the parcel, the paperwork lists the address as 18th, but is associated with the 9218 Delridge property. All of the complaints are at 9222.
    - CW April 28, 2026 (1:26 pm)
      
      The lot in question encompasses 3 property parcels: 9352900275 with address 9200 18th Ave SW, parcel 9352900270, and parcel 9352900265. The second and third parcel does not give a street address.
  - Curtis April 28, 2026 (8:19 pm)
    
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    The city has not actioned any of my 3 reports on this camp dating back to january
- Peter Parcel April 28, 2026 (1:13 pm)
  
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  Looks like it’s 3 parcels all owned by the city:
  935290-0265
  935290-0270
  935290-0275
  
  The city paid 3.25 million for them in 2023!?!?!?
  - Tim April 28, 2026 (2:03 pm)
    
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    I believe it isSeattle Housing Authority listed as the owner

Todd Bramy April 28, 2026 (12:08 pm)

The alley West of 17th, looking North from Delridge.

Todd Bramy April 28, 2026 (12:10 pm)

Boots and paws on the ground near the corner of 18th Ave SW and SW Barton St.

K April 28, 2026 (1:12 pm)

Highland Park has lifted their Shelter in Place.

WSB April 28, 2026 (1:49 pm)

Thanks for all the research help. I finally found our coverage related to the purchase (I needed to get specifics to be able to ask the city if this site even has been on the Unified Care Team’s radar) including
https://westseattleblog.com/2025/01/followup-south-delridge-park-still-years-away-even-after-county-to-city-grant/

Delridgeguy April 28, 2026 (1:57 pm)

Terrible this happened. I hope the city pays close attention to this one. It happened in broad daylight while two large daycares just a block away had kids in them……..There should be some very hard lines drawn that keep homeless encampments very far from anywhere kids are being cared for/educated. We see open drug use daily from the residents from this encampment in plain view of little kids every day.

Rhonda April 28, 2026 (2:12 pm)

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Delridgeguy, there’s children being cared for in EVERY residential block in the city by their parent(s) in their homes. So, yes, I agree that no encampments should be allowed anywhere near residences.
RD April 28, 2026 (2:41 pm)

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City should not allow any outdoor camping at all. All the drug use is disgusting. Katie can build all the little huts but the problem is not going away.
- Jackson The Geologist April 28, 2026 (6:48 pm)
  
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  Okay, then where should they go? In to an incinerator? Get real, these people are being crushed in to paste by the economic conditions in this country due to hollowing out of the oublic sector since the Regan era. They need both affordable housing (“little huts”) and support services, not getting beaten to hell by the SPD for living outside then tossed in to jail (spoiler, jail has been proven time and time again to not be an effective way to manage homelessness).
  - The 33 April 29, 2026 (7:06 am)
    
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    These people are not being crushed into paste by economic conditions. The folks in these encampments are not trying to make it work and falling short. They’re just not doing anything to contribute to their well being at all. These aren’t the working poor around which you are trying to frame your argument. They’re drug addicts, people with mental health conditions, and/or criminals. If they get an offer of shelter (which they all have) and they decline, then they need to move along. And no, not the shelter of their choosing. If they want the shelter of their choosing, they can work and pay for it. Otherwise, they get what’s offered. It’s called reality and consequences.
    - K April 29, 2026 (9:59 am)
      
      Thank you, The 33, for taking the time to go to the encampment and get to know everyone’s personal stories so you can use those facts to push back against assumptions of random commenters. That must have taken a lot of time to learn so much about so many people, and we appreciate your service.

Rob April 28, 2026 (2:40 pm)

$16 milllion wasted per just 2 of the above comments. I’m sure there must then be quite a bit more. Let’s all remember this next time our “representatives” try to raise our taxes. There needs to be less spending and more accountability.

John April 28, 2026 (3:22 pm)

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How does more accountability happen with less spending?
- WSzombie April 28, 2026 (3:55 pm)
  
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  I believe he meant, “less fraud and waste”, thus, “more accountability”. It was also just a couple weeks ago in another article where someone said, “why shut the camps down? They don’t harm anyone.”
  - John April 28, 2026 (7:34 pm)
    
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    File all of it under things we can’t do without taxes
- Eric1 April 28, 2026 (3:57 pm)
  
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  Technically speaking: zero dollars spent equals no need for accountability. Problem solved.
- Ronald April 28, 2026 (10:08 pm)
  
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Curtis April 28, 2026 (8:16 pm)

This encampment has been growing on city been property since the New Year. I have filed 3 reports in finditfixit, all were either closed with no action or left completely unactioned. I called the city and they tried to transfer me to a voicemail box (dead letter office). The city is absolutely negligent here, this is zero surprise to us living close by.

1994 April 28, 2026 (10:33 pm)

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The FIFI gets no response or action from the city other than an automatic email with the same canned wording. I made 7 or 8 FIFI reports about Roxhill Park tent people and they are still there with wood smoke coming out of the shrubs…..I agree with above comments that the city should stop raising taxes because the funds are not helping get anything accomplished. City & county spin the wording about solving problems so the employees and elected people keep their jobs, and the non-profit human service programs get their cut…. but the problems don’t get fixed.

West Seattle April 28, 2026 (8:38 pm)

This is terrible.

EJ April 28, 2026 (8:52 pm)

@Curtis and any other interested neighbors – Seattle Parks owns the parcel where this encampment is located, and SDOT owns the adjacent triangle park. SDOT staff are planning to come to the triangle park the morning of Saturday, May 18th for an open discussion with neighbors about their plans to redevelop the park starting fall 2026. They recently received new grant funding for this. I urge all neighbors to save the date to attend this event so we can advocate for some safety improvements. I heard from SDOT staff today that a flyer with more details will be forthcoming – I will share with the blog when it arrives.

WSB April 28, 2026 (10:24 pm)

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May 18 is a Monday. I’ll ask SDOT about this tomorrow, already had a couple other city queries queued up from what happened today. We covered the Triangle Park advocacy for years until the one devoted community advocate who led it finally ran out of steam trying to shepherd it without much community support, IIRC.
- Kal April 29, 2026 (3:47 pm)
  
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  What’s the best way to keep up with updates on what you find out about this parcel, plans to clear it, etc? Myself and other neighbors have registered dozens of FindItFixIt complains, 911 calls, etc. and the encampment has just been growing and getting more dangerous. We can’t take our kids back there any more because it’s a daily occurrence to have random cars parked and dealing, people tweaking out in the street, etc.I empathize with the greater housing crisis and need for better support for the homeless, but this encampment is dangerous and getting worse by the day.
  - EJ April 29, 2026 (9:13 pm)
    
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    @Kal Please plan to attend the meeting at the triangle park on morning of Sat, May 16! (sorry misspoke about the date before) Invite others too! We are also concerned neighbors and if we can get a sizable group to speak to the SDOT representatives at that meeting I think it will help. As I mentioned, they do have grant funding to start some small-scale “activation” of this site starting this fall. Community voices will help.
  - EJ April 30, 2026 (7:23 pm)
    
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    @Kal and other neighbors, more info about the meeting, please come and help advocate for change!!

Whatthehelly April 28, 2026 (9:07 pm)

So no shooter in custody? From the description it sound like an individual thats been hanging around the barton hillside encampments/derelict cars. He looks pissed off, anger on his face everytime ive seen him.

WSB April 28, 2026 (10:13 pm)

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Not as of this evening. There have been several possible sightings, including the one mentioned above at SW Library (which was from a parking-enforcement officer who had seen an all-department email with an image).

Roxhill neighbors April 28, 2026 (11:15 pm)

No one is talking about Roxhill park encampment, it’s getting bigger by the day, I can see them from my window, they have camp fires almost every night and trash everywhere, Roxhill park is not safe anymore, please who ever can report this one too to find it fix it will be appreciated.

1994 April 29, 2026 (9:34 pm)

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I have written 7-8 FIFI f rom January to March this year for Roxhill Park regarding encampments. The last report included info that the tent people have posted signs that say NO Trespassing and KEEP OUT. They even have a small unleashed guard dog that will come bark & growl at people walking by…..the city is not doing enough to keep our parks clean and safe.

snowskier April 29, 2026 (8:43 am)

Seems like the current threshold for the city to take action to clear an encampment is a Scene of Violence. We’ll, we’ve had one now and if the shooter is hanging around the Barton Hillside encampment this could be a good opportunity for a joint clearance. Maybe go for the trifecta and clear Roxhill Park while we’re at it….we can hope.

Jack April 29, 2026 (11:30 am)

Maybe if the city just didn’t allow any encampments and cleared them up the minute they saw anyone camping outside, the drug addicts, the drug dealers, the theft’s etc. would have to move to a different city.

OT April 29, 2026 (9:55 pm)

Neighbors have been sounding the alarm for a long time. We’ve reported strange cars coming and going at all hours, open drug dealing and drug use happening in plain sight, stolen property being moved through the area, constant noise, fights, and repeated police and EMS responses. Families live directly across the alley. Children play outside within feet of all of this. It is not just uncomfortable, it is dangerous.
What’s even more frustrating is that people have done exactly what they’re supposed to do. Reports have been submitted through Find It, Fix It. Calls have been made to police. Outreach has been directed to the Unified Care Team. And yet, nothing meaningful has changed. Even after temporary clearings, the same individuals return and the activity continues. And now, after a shooting, the site remains open and unsecured.
This is not sustainable, and it is not acceptable.
That’s why we’ve created a petition calling on the City, Parks and Recreation, King County, and the Unified Care Team to take immediate, coordinated action. This is about safety for everyone involved, including the people living at the encampment, the surrounding residents, and first responders who continue to be put in difficult and dangerous situations.https://c.org/L5Qqy6Lt2c