VIDEO: Man shot at Roxhill Park

| Crime | West Seattle news

1:48 PM: SPD and SFD are converging on Roxhill Park after a person was reported shot. Updates to come.

1:55 PM: Police report that several people “scattered” after a gunshot was heard/seen. Our crew is just arriving at the park.

(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)

1:58 PM: Police report finding two casings so far. The victim is being taken to the hospital.

2:38 PM: Our crew is back at the park and reports police have taped off the trails leading to the bog area. They report detectives on scene include at least one with a “GANG UNIT” vest.

As mentioned by a commenter, neighbors have been complaining about a growing encampment in the park – in the area where detectives are working right now, though we don’t know yet whether the shooting was at the encampment or not.

2:50 PM: SFD tells us the victim is a 40-year-old man, assessed as being in serious condition when taken to Harborview.

3:26 PM: Added our video above of the media briefing at the park with SPD’s Det. Shane Weatherford (besides us, the only other media crews there were two from TV). A few new details: The victim had multiple gunshot wounds; he was found in the park’s “wooded area.” He so far has been unable to give police any description information about the shooter; they’re asking anyone in the area who might have a security camera to check video in the 12:30 pm-1:30 pm vicinity and let police know if they have anything of note. You can contact the SPD violent-crime tipline at 206-233-5000.

3:42 PM: Police have removed much of the crime-scene tape. We’ve added a few more of our photos above.

JP August 19, 2026 (2:25 pm)

Roxhill Park is out of control. There’s 6-8 separate encampments there at any given time. Walked my dog through there a week ago and left when a guy approached me with a machete and saw. Reported it and not much has happened.

GC August 19, 2026 (2:26 pm)

Wow I was just at the park with my grandchildren at the playground getting ready to leave when I heard 4 pops that sounded like fireworks then saw people coming out of the trees at a fast pace as we were getting in to our car . So scary our kids can’t even play safely anymore.

Steph August 19, 2026 (3:48 pm)

Don’t take your grandchildren there!! We had to stop going there over a decade ago because it is so unsafe. Drug paraphernalia and booze bottles and unsafe people on the bushes. Lincoln Park is still fairly safe, especially at the beach. Whale Tail might still be safe if the careless park workers don’t run over your kids like they almost did mine years ago and the Parks department didn’t get them to stop. West Crest might still be ok at the play area but stay out of the woods unless you have pepper spray and a loud whistle. Such a shame our parks have become so unsafe ☹️
- bill#1 August 19, 2026 (4:07 pm)
  
  Be sure to vote on the next “City of Seattle Parks Levy”!

Lulu August 19, 2026 (2:31 pm)

I love this park and this is genuinely so devastating. I was planning on walking there during my lunch break today but decided not to last minute. I hope the victim is okay.

Rhonda August 19, 2026 (2:47 pm)

The situation there with drug users camping in the thick trees next the senior home and the nightly camp fires is absolutely unacceptable. Dealers going in and out at all hours of the day.

Josh August 19, 2026 (3:02 pm)

We walk by the park daily- by, no longer “through.” Bathrooms scary (music playing inside yesterday) people at the doorways hanging out… I don’t understand why the encampments are allowed to continue here with bonfires, music, generators running… we lost our park and no one seems to care.

LK August 19, 2026 (3:11 pm)

Five months ago I submitted a find it fix it about the encampment and it’s still open.

Stephanie August 19, 2026 (3:15 pm)

This is so upsetting. A while back, I was driving to Target with my newborn in the car when a homeless man threw a giant rock at my car. He missed me by inches. I reported it to the police, but was told there was nothing they could do because he hadn’t actually caused physical harm.
What really bothered me was that he was still allowed to remain around the park where children and families spend time. Now, someone has been shot at this same park.
I’m not saying every person experiencing homelessness is dangerous, but I do think we need to be able to address dangerous and violent behavior, especially in parks where children are playing. It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like something has to escalate to someone actually getting hurt or killed before meaningful action is taken

bill#1 August 19, 2026 (4:11 pm)

There was a book written – AND published! – over 40 years ago called “The Death of Common Sense” – You and all others should read it!
k August 19, 2026 (4:42 pm)

Violence is violence whether the perpetrator is housed or not. Let’s focus on the criminal act and not their housing status. A couple years ago a man killed a homeless guy for touching his bicycle and he was allowed to walk free among us this whole time because he had the means to post $2 million bail, even though he was no less dangerous. They let him plead down to 2nd degree manslaughter so he’ll be walking among you again in the not-too-distant future. All lives have value, and should be treated as such.
Julie August 19, 2026 (6:31 pm)

Hey, Stephanie, I have experienced something similar to you actually and it was some man standing across the street from a few feet from the entrance/ exit area out of the parking lot by the post office ( I think it’s called Thistle street) , he was standing by the sidewalk and he had a pile of boxes stacked up and in the he started to grab glass bottles and literally threw it at my car as I was driving by and he continued to grab glass bottles and throw them into the street. I’m sorry that this happened to you and your infant.

Actualperson August 19, 2026 (3:56 pm)

Long past time to start jailing. The apologists and enablers are not only accomplishing nothing they’re only making the situation worse.

GC August 19, 2026 (4:06 pm)

This is the first time I have felt unsafe there or seen creepy people there we left after a very quick stay.

Frank August 19, 2026 (4:18 pm)

Boy that is a bad park for kids. I hope that the summer camps in the area don’t have to use it. I know the seattle parks and rec contractor ARC (associated recreation council) uses a lot of the west seattle parks but not sure about Roxhill

Christopher B. August 19, 2026 (4:19 pm)

What is this? One gunfire incident a day in West Seattle now? Geez Louise.

Concerned August 19, 2026 (5:30 pm)

This is not surprising. The park shouldn’t even be called a park. It is a drug infested piece of land. The people who are unhoused there have had every opportunity from the UCT to get housed. They don’t want structure, they want ease of use of drugs and all of the wonderful stores across the street to get their “5 finger discount”! Sorry… NOT sorry!

DRW August 19, 2026 (5:47 pm)

Sadly it’s not a park anymore. It’s a homeless encampment full of drugs, stolen property, and addicts. Maybe a few people that need some mental health help as well.

Alki born August 19, 2026 (5:52 pm)

Shootings here since I was a kid. We were always told to stay out of this park and lincoln park at night because “they” supposedly did “gang initiations” there.

Ng Nguyen August 19, 2026 (7:09 pm)

When I moved here I went to Sealth HS and was informed by school staff to stay out of that area. We walked the longer way to our bus stop to avoid that area. HARD CRIME..

David August 19, 2026 (8:02 pm)

Bring back the gang violence unit. Bring back the equestrian unit too.

me August 19, 2026 (8:08 pm)

There is an assisted living complex that borders this park. The buildings have to be locked day and night because of trespassers in various states of intoxication. There were a number of times I witnessed people in the parking lot who are not in their right mind, yelling and screaming and making threatening moves toward people. Things were quieter when they were repairing SW Barton street, but now that the construction is complete, the difficulties have returned.

Roxhill Neighbor August 19, 2026 (9:51 pm)

Why is there an illegal encampment in our park? My kids were crying and very frightened from the shots as we were in our front yard. We live right across the street. We called 911 countless times over the drug dealers and crime activities in the park. Mayor Wilson’s kids aren’t diving for the ground from gunshots across the street! She need to resign immediately.

Admiral2009 August 19, 2026 (10:40 pm)

This park has a really nice play structure. What does it take a kid getting killed at the park for the City to do something?

Encampments in public parks cannot be allowed period. The City needs to immediately remove any encampments from public parks without exception.

1994 August 19, 2026 (10:55 pm)

The tenter’s in the bog get drive up garbage service! I saw this with my own eyes last Sunday as I walked by the park along Roxbury Street. A large orange cab truck, like the one seen helping clean up other tenter sites in WSB photos, was there hauling garbage cans to dump in the back of the truck…..guys in high viz green vests hauling the cans….doesn’t even look like the tenter people hauled their own cans out to the truck on the path….the city continues to tolerate and attempt to mitigate the tenter situation that should not be allowed to exist in public spaces. The city only cleans out the tenters when violence happens….maybe this will get a clean out of Roxhill Park.

Feet August 20, 2026 (11:00 am)

What’s this “tenter” term you’re trying to make happen? Also, it’s good that they have garbage service. Would you rather the trash just pile up? Would you rather they burn it? Until there are meaningful options for housing – and Seattle does not currently have enough shelter beds or transition housing for our homeless population – it’s good and necessary that basic services are provided where people are.

Laura C. August 19, 2026 (11:07 pm)

Been living 3 blocks from Roxhill for 20 years and it has become increasingly less safe since the bus route arrived on Barton across from Westwood. Our daughter and friends loved to play at “Castle Park” (Roxhill) almost every day. After the Metro ‘C’ line became a reality on Barton and with the increase of drug and crime use everywhere, our park has become a drug camp and the crime at Westwood has increased exponentially. This area needs some increased attention from police on an ongoing basis and perhaps relocation for the C-line away from such a convenient woods to hide in for the drug users and stores to steal from.

k August 20, 2026 (6:06 am)

The C Line isn’t stopping in front of the park, and hasn’t for a few months now. The layover is on the side and back of Westwood Village, and there is a green belt back there that is actually closer. I’m not disagreeing that being the terminus of a bus route can have an impact on nearby areas, but there is a LOT more at play than just the buses.
Admiral2009 August 20, 2026 (12:36 pm)

Laura I too call it Castle Park, I’ve taken my daughter there numerous times with trepidation, she likes it. No more until the City clears the encampments out.

anonyme August 20, 2026 (7:04 am)

Yes, the bus line terminus and the campers have contributed to Roxhill becoming a very unsafe place. But a lot of people don’t know that this park/area has been gang controlled for a very long time. I didn’t make this up; it’s been confirmed by police, whom I had to call on a regular basis while working at an adjacent property some years ago. Drugs have long been a problem, and a 12-year-old girl was raped there 10 or so years ago. I believe she was a Denny student, and a lot of Denny & Sealth students hang out in the park, or used to.

Frustrated! August 20, 2026 (7:38 am)

This was bound to happen. Roxhill Park is like its own little lawless city. The City and the UCT know exactly what is going on there, and instead of removing them, they are enabling it to be status quo. The city is enabling drug users to be drug users, enabling them to be criminals, enabling them to not deal with whatever mental health issues they have. The City of Seattle and the Unified Care Team are directly responsible for this. They should be ashamed of themselves. Do we think they will clear it out? There are too many innocent people who live and work around this park and the City only seems to make sure that the unhoused are being treated with dignity and respect, heck with the regular tax payers who pay to use the park. The City of Seattle is “Bassackward”

Eva August 20, 2026 (8:46 am)

The recent shooting in Roxhill Park is a tragic and deeply concerning incident that highlights the ongoing public safety challenges that have been allowed to persist in the area. For months, residents, neighboring businesses, and community members have reported increasing criminal activity, open drug use, and dangerous conditions in the park. Numerous reports have been submitted through the Find It, Fix It app, yet many community members feel their concerns have not been addressed with the urgency they deserve.The City of Seattle and the Unified Care Team must be held accountable for ensuring that public spaces remain safe for everyone. The continued growth of illegal activity in Roxhill Park has created an environment where residents, families, seniors, and visitors no longer feel secure using a public park that should be a community asset.Taxpayers expect city resources to be used effectively to protect public safety, address criminal behavior, and maintain public spaces. Compassion for individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction is important, but compassion must be paired with accountability, enforcement of laws, and meaningful solutions that protect the broader community.This latest act of violence should serve as a wake-up call. The City must take immediate action to restore safety in Roxhill Park, respond to the repeated concerns raised by residents, and demonstrate that the well-being of law-abiding community members is a top priority. Continued inaction is unacceptable, and the community deserves better.

27th Ave August 20, 2026 (9:36 am)

Roxhill is my backyard, I have 3 teen kids, we live a nightmare. Drug use, toxic air, music at night, suspicious people going in and out that encampments all day and night and around our neighborhood, gunshots, campfires, the smell of substances…I don’t know what to do anymore, we don’t feel safe, we need help. Anyone from the community who can do something, talk to someone please your neighbors needs you!

26th Ave August 20, 2026 (9:09 am)

We have been reporting the nightly fires that are being burned in the encampment every night to 911. We were instructed by city officials to call. So please all-call and keep calling when there is fire or violence. The city has to log all the complaints and have a record of incidents. Please also keep reporting to Find It Fix It and write or call to the mayors office and councilman Rob Saka email: Rob.Saka@seattle.gov, tel:206-684-8801.

Fred Matthews August 20, 2026 (9:39 am)

Dear Councilmember Saka: There was a shooting in broad daylight yesterday afternoon in the homeless encampment in Roxhill Park. Time to get serious about gun violence in your district. This one is “on you.” What are you going to do to keep us safe? Is it going to take another large drug-related shootout like happened a few months ago across 27th from the Westwood Heights apartments? It is time, Mr. Saka. It is your district. As someone who lives next to Roxhill Park, I ask: what are you going to do to keep me and my neighbors safe?

C August 20, 2026 (9:47 am)

As someone who reports to find it fix it on a weekly basis, has sent emails to the unified care team with one response and then getting ghosted, it seems as a community we need to petition or come together to help this area. West Seattle has houses selling for MILLIONS of dollars but cant clean up its parks? Gain saftey for local children , there are 3 Major senior living communities in the area, what about the seniors as well? It feels likes this corner of the city is forgotten about and this is only going to get worse!! Drive the Westwood area after 9 PM it looks like literal rats crawling on the streets, the smell of fires is unreal. Its just so sad.

Cat Lady August 28, 2026 (1:29 pm)

We can’t even get potholes filled over here. We are the bastard step child neighborhood of Seattle. It should not take neighbors having to convene and work out their own community policing rotation to feel safe in your home again, but this sounds like a lot more than a mere encampment going on in this case, so y’all may need to consider that route. Not advocating for going out looking for trouble while armed (please don’t do that), but more like organized groups taking turns walking a specific territory together on nights when there’s noise activity after the time there should be to establish a presence of vigilance — not vigilantism — in reclaiming your streets and a baseline sense of safety in the park. It’s beyond my comprehension how we can have such well paid law enforcement officers here with such disappointingly low community engagement. (this is just from my perspective, having lived in places where the police were generally more involved so it wasn’t a heart skipping moment every time you see someone in uniform walking towards you)

HS August 20, 2026 (10:33 am)

This park is the only natural peat bog in our area. In a wider picture, this park and its capacity to pull and hold CO2 should make it a priority to maintain. Sadly it’s location leaves it often forgotten. I recall that there was a single man fighting for the grasses a few years ago, as it’s a unique ecosystem in the region. This neighborhood is full of underground streams and the peat bog is important for everyone living here as it absorbs water, and helps maintain water levels. Nobody wants their basement flooding or foundation issues bc the local natural collection site has failed.

KBDogMom August 20, 2026 (11:02 am)

So sad to learn about the shooting, and scary as well. I love walking my dog through this park, but have become increasingly wary of doing so, especially through the wooded trails. Too many encampments now, and twice have had off-leash dogs from the people living there start to run over to us (which my dog does not appreciate). Hopefully this will be the momentum needed for a sweep of the encampments.

wsn00b August 20, 2026 (11:03 am)

There are areas of West Seattle that we sadly call “Sketch Seattle” . Target/Westwood and the area around Roxhill are on that list . A few other spots are on that list in our household.Our next (sad) step is getting kids out of the rec leagues that play in Riverview. Alki, etc are strictly daytime venues and we GTFO before it gets dark when it gets sketchy. I’d love to go to many of the restaurants there at night but we just don’t.As much as I still vote for everything progressive we seem to be missing a common sense “unacceptable’ enforcement bar in our daily lives and city governance. There are lots of bigger picture issues causing these problems but the city government is failing at some real basic city stuff.

Keenan August 20, 2026 (11:10 am)

City parks should be no go zones for homeless encampments. Every day for the past two months at least, the same homeless man has been sleeping on a bench in Lincoln Park. His “wake up” schedule corresponds to when I’m usually there around 10am in the same area I play with my dog. I’ve witnessed him defecating in the woods several times as part of his morning routine. I have summitted two Find It, Fix It requests with absolutely no results.

This is my #1 issue with Seattle. The local government should prioritize clearing our public parks of the homeless above all other issues.

In response to the “But where will they go?” question, my answer is I DO NOT CARE. Somewhere else. Not in the parks. We pay so much money to live in this city, for god sakes our parks should be safe, protected spaces for law abiding, tax paying citizens to relax and feel safe with their children.

snowskier August 20, 2026 (12:27 pm)

When’s the announcement from the mayors office on when the park will be swept clean of people living in it? It is time to arrest and jail those who decline services. Those that have mental health needs, get them into treatment. Those that have outstanding warrants, keep them incarcerated. These people are resistant to offers so it’s beyond time to start making decisions for them so the rest of us can get our parks and city back.

Fred August 20, 2026 (2:29 pm)

Couldn’t agree more.

Sweep Roxhill Park August 20, 2026 (3:19 pm)

I’m going to call Seattle Fire Department every hour on the hour when there’s fire in the park. Last night they had our entire neighborhood filled with toxic smoke and ash. Do I have to yell FIRE on Barton Street just to get something done?

Lisa August 21, 2026 (8:10 am)

It’s become that way since the main bus stop went there. Before that it was completely safe. Westwood village is the same.

Granted August 22, 2026 (9:24 am)

Maybe some of you could try talking to your neighbors in the park? If your problem is with people, maybe try leading with humanity.

moji August 23, 2026 (8:08 am)

Idk, let’s see… do you mean when they’re approaching with a machete, or do you mean that we should don our gas masks to get close enough to them to have a conversation without being overcome by the fentanyl and/or meth? They’re in the woods for a reason. They don’t want people coming to have a chat with them.

Sorry, comment time is over.