West Seattle, Washington
11 Friday
The City Council gave final approval today to the plan for a Seattle Police pilot program to use surveillance cameras in four areas of the city. None of them are in West Seattle, but the bill includes an amendment from District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka requiring SPD to study possibly using cameras in the Alki/Harbor Avenue area. We reported on this after the Public Safety Committee, for which Saka serves as vice chair, passed it two weeks ago. Actually authorizing cameras in Alki/Harbor would require separate legislation at some point in the future, so don’t expect to see them any time soon. The areas of the city where the bill does authorize cameras are downtown, Aurora, Belltown, and Chinatown/ID. Opponents have voiced privacy concerns; Saka acknowledged cameras bring “potential non-trivial privacy challenges,” but he and colleagues including Public Safety Committee chair Councilmember Bob Kettle contend there will be plenty of safeguards and oversight. Saka also contended video is needed as a “force multiplier,” and noted that if it’s eventually deployed for Alki/Harbor, that could help people who are “suffering from PTSD … because of what’s been going on down here.” The discussion of this item starts 2 hours and 8 minutes into the Seattle Channel recording of the meeting.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We need our community.”
Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Krista Bair says that’s truer than ever while SPD works to rebuild its ranks.
We talked with her earlier this week at the precinct, our first opportunity for a sit-down conversation since she took over more than three months ago as leader of the officers assigned to West Seattle and South Park.
Before getting into how the precinct works – and how the community factors into what police do – we asked about how she found this profession, which has her now serving as the first woman to lead this precinct, in a department where women comprise only about 15 percent of the sworn staffing. This month marks 29 years since Capt. Bair started her policing career. In very early adulthood, she worked in her family business – an Arizona restaurant – for a while. “It was great preparation for interacting for the public, time management, customer complaints …” She might have stayed in the family business but she didn’t want to stay in Arizona: “I’m just not a hot-weather person.” Her interest in Seattle was piqued by movies like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Singles.” Her interest in police work traces to TV shows like “Cagney and Lacey” and “Charlie’s Angels.” (The Angels were private detectives, close enough.) In the beginning, she says, police work wasn’t what she expected – she looked younger than her early-20s age, so “I thought they’d put me in schools. Didn’t happen.” But she found fulfillment in the work anyway. “I’ve always wanted to help people. … I’m a very optimistic individual.”
Thanks for the tips. More trouble for Easy Street Records – two days after flooding damage inside, one of the shop windows was broken from outside, around 7 am. Police found a shrieking woman, took her into custody, and called for medical assistance; one of the people who told us about this, Kathy, says people nearby setting up for the Farmers’ Market told her that the woman apparently had thrown herself against the window. SFD tells us, “A crew was dispatched and treated an adult female in crisis. The patient was transported to the hospital by AMR.”
The woman shot and killed at a house south of The Junction on Tuesday was identified this afternoon, and police have released more information on what they believe happened. We’ve already added the new details to our original Tuesday report, but are also publishing this separate update.
First, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, she was 57-year-old Tamara (“Tammy”) Towers Parry, and she died of “multiple gunshot wounds.” She was a longtime physician who gained notoriety in 2021 for a video indicating she was at the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
Police said in the hours after her death that the shooting involved her and two other people. Today they confirmed those two other people had come to her house with “papers.” (Her house was listed here as being in “pre-foreclosure/auction” status for $225,000 “unpaid balance”; a “notice of trustee sale” filed with King County in May says it was scheduled for auction two weeks ago.) Police say Ms. Towers Parry “presented a shotgun” and that one of those people, a 40-year-old man, shot her with his handgun. After the SPD update was published, we asked police to clarify that she did not fire her shotgun and SPD spokesperson Det. Brian Pritchard replied, “The shotgun was not fired.” Police also say they recovered both guns involved and that no one was under arrest, but the investigation continues.
(Reader photo, Mounted Patrol at Alki Beach, 2023)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As city councilmembers dig into Mayor Harrell‘s budget proposal, they have a West Seattle-specific cut to consider:
14 years after the Seattle Police Department last tried to disband its Mounted Patrol Unit, the last one in the region, based next to Westcrest Park in southeast West Seattle, the unit is on the chopping block again, as a way to save just under a quarter-million dollars from an SPD budget that is proposed to jump from $395 million this year to $457 million next year.
A reader called our attention to this by forwarding a letter that Mounted Patrol members have drawn up, pleading for help to save what’s left of “the last Mounted Patrol Unit in the Pacific Northwest.” More on that in a moment. First, here’s what we found in the budget itself: The proposed cut is on page 362 of the mayor’s full citywide budget plan, sent to the City Council last Tuesday:
Remove Support For SPD’s Mounted Patrol Unit
Expenditures $(230,030)This item eliminates General Fund support of the department’s Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU), including 1.0 FTE Equipment & Facilities Coordinator, three unbudgeted part-time temporary maintenance laborers, and associated operating costs. Sworn positions currently assigned to the MPU will continue to be funded by the General Fund but will be reassigned elsewhere in the department.
The unit has only two sworn positions assigned to it; as explained to us during an “open barn” at MPU HQ last year, if they need more help, officers are temporarily reassigned from elsewhere in the department. At the time of our visit, the unit had six horses plus mini-horse Li’l Sebastian.
In the new budget proposal, this is the only SPD service/unit specifically called out for cutting, The increased spending in the SPD budget (page 359) includes $10 million more for overtime to fund “emphasis patrols” (no geographical specifics but in the past these have included extra officers for summer nights on Alki), $2 million for the “Real-Time Crime Center,” $2 million for “scheduling and timekeeping software,” and $1.2 million to add more school-zone speed-enforcement cameras (of course eventually expected to pay for themselves).
(WSB photo, Morgan Junction Community Festival this past June)
The Mounted Patrol’s mission has changed over the years; when the unit was proposed for disbanding in 2010, its crowd-control attributes were discussed; more recently, its major function has been community relations. That’s pointed out in the support-seeking letter that was sent to us. See the full letter here; the text is as follows:
Loyal Supporter,
We need your help!Horses have been a cherished part of the Seattle Police Department for almost 150 years; with the modern inception of the Mounted Unit being established in 1973 with eight horses, seven officers, and one sergeant. Today it is diminished to 1 dedicated sergeant and 1 full time Officer with civilian support barn staff, and it is the last remaining Mounted Patrol Unit in the Pacific Northwest.
In its early years, the Unit’s primary mission was to patrol the 5,000 acres of City parks. Its secondary mission was crowd control and management during largescale events. In the 1980s the unit further evolved, with patrol duties expanded to include the downtown waterfront business districts and residential areas, in addition to the 5,000 acres of City parks.
Today the Unit’s heart and soul is its commitment to the communities of Seattle and beyond, helping build a bridge between community members and law enforcement by not only patrolling neighborhoods, parks and the downtown Seattle corridor, but also through its participation in countless community events and celebrations. As a secondary, but no less important mission, the Seattle Police Mounted Unit is an integral part of honoring fallen law enforcement officers for a myriad of surrounding agencies, providing a longtime, honored tradition of the Riderless Horse for all line of duty death memorials across the Pacific Northwest.
To the point of our letter, we are having a moment of de ja vu. The Seattle Police Department has announced its intention to close the doors of this treasured piece of heritage. It is with a heart-wrenching plea that we write to you today, begging you to help rally the troops, warm up your voices and help us save our unit, the last Mounted Patrol Unit in the Pacific Northwest. Once it is gone, there is no bringing it back, ask the Portland Police Department. You’ve done it before when budget shortfalls at the City put the MPU in jeopardy in 2010, and we need you to do it again!
Help us by spreading the word to other community members and Mounted Unit supporters. Write letters to the Chief’s office, including all the Assistant Chiefs and Deputy Chief, beseech City Councilmembers, share your stories that include the Mounted Unit and our beloved Police Horses, make them see that we are more than a line item on a budget sheet, that our impact goes beyond today, that we are an integral part of One Seattle.
Warmly,
Seattle Police Mounted Patrol Team
Various contact addresses are listed on the letter‘s second page.
Back in 2010-2011, when then-Mayor Mike McGinn‘s budget called for cutting the Mounted Patrol Unit, the nonprofit Seattle Police Foundation came forward with funding to save it. That support lasted for a few years; in 2014, as we reported at the time, then-Mayor Ed Murray‘s budget restored general-fund support, calling the unit a “valuable public service.” (The police budget for 2015 was $298 million.) We’ll be contacting the SPF about the new unit-cutting proposal; it has continued to provide some support for the MPU, as we noted in this story last year.
Other questions so far include what would happen to the unit’s headquarters in Highland Park if the Mounted Patrol is indeed disbanded. Its upkeep has included a significant amount of community volunteer work, including beautification of the grounds. We’ll be following up.
WHAT’S NEXT: The proposed budget is now in the City Council’s hands to review and shape before a final vote in November. Right now the council is hearing department-by-department overviews; SPD is scheduled to make its presentation during the council session starting at 9:30 am Tuesday (October 1). The agenda includes a public-comment period, as do most other council meetings; the first budget-specific public hearing is set for October 16.
ADDED 2:24 PM: SPD has published a statement this afternoon about its plan to disband the unit. The statement says in part that “as SPD continues to recover from loss of hundreds of officers over the past four years, we have to carefully prioritize how to use existing scarce resources. The highest priority is maintaining the ability to respond quickly to emergency calls, and effectively investigate dangerous criminal behavior so the community is protected. This requires that we reduce resources for work that does not directly support these two priorities.”
8:30 PM: For those asking about the big police response along Delridge Way just south on SW Thistle – police were dealing with what was logged as a person-in-crisis situation at an apartment complex. The man at the heart of it was armed. He’s been taken into custody and police recovered the gun. He’ll be taken to Harborview for a mental-health evaluation, according to emergency radio.
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: From the SPD summary of the incident:
At (6:44 pm), Officers responded to a crisis call located at the 8400 BLK of Delridge Wy SW. The details of the call indicated that there was a male in crisis with a firearm saying that he can see clowns and ninjas and that he wanted to hurt them. Officers arrived and contacted the subject on the phone. Officers contained the apartment building. The subject was initially inside of his apartment, but he decided to exit and continuously knock on his neighbor’s door. The subject damaged his apartment windows. Officers also contacted the complainant to determine if a crime was committed. … The subject eventually came outside, and he was placed in handcuffs. Officers recovered three BB guns that looked like real firearms. The subject was transported to the hospital on an (Involuntary Treatment Act commitment).
6:07 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “scenes of violence” response to the Westwood area for a report that a woman has been stabbed. SFD is staging near 30th/Trenton but police are also responding to a scene on Cloverdale, and have a possible suspect detained.
6:12 PM: We don’t yet know exactly where it happened; circumstances sound relatively chaotic. Police are also checking on a report of a fight near the 26th/Trenton RV encampment.
6:23 PM: Our crew reports a woman being treated on Trenton and is headed over to the 24th/Cloverdale scene where a man is reported to have a stab wound to the knee. No life-threatening wounds reported; the weapon is described as scissors. The circumstances now are being referred to as “domestic violence.”
6:33 PM: That’s also what a police sergeant tells us at the scene, adding that the man in custody, suspected of attacking the injured woman, is the man with a leg wound.
ADDED: SFD said both were in stable condition when taken to Harborview; the man is 26, the woman 24.
Another major event this week – the first community meeting with police at the Southwest Precinct since March (here’s our coverage of that one). Officers from the precinct have attended neighborhood-group meetings during that time, but Wednesday (September 11) will bring the first meeting to be held under the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council banner since March. The “council” is really just whoever shows up, rather than an official organization (which it used to be, years ago). The meeting is being organized by the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite. She says they’ll be held quarterly. This time, the guest speakers are District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka and Southwest Precinct leadership (the precinct has changed commanders since last meeting, now led by Capt. Krista Bair). All are welcome; start time is 6:30 pm Wednesday in the community room, which is right off the parking lot on the south side of the building at 2300 SW Webster.
7:32 PM: If you’ve been noticing the police report on California south of The Junction – here’s how it’s played out over police radio: First there was a report of a man “covered in blood” with a possible stab wound near California/Lander. Police couldn’t find anyone. Then reoprts started coming in about a man “covered in blood” possibly carrying a pistol, in The Junction, Police have just caught up with a man who they believe is the person reported in both calls – and they say he’s covered in feces, not blood. They have taken him into custody at California/Dawson, though it’s not clear if any crime has been committed – one witness is reported to have told police the man dropped “the gun” near where police caught up with him.
7:37 PM: Our photographer says police at the scene (by Rite Aid) confirm the aforementioned circumstances. No gun found so far. What happens to him next, we haven’t yet heard.
11:54 PM: We only have a fraction of the story on this so far, but several people have asked, so we’re reporting what we’ve heard at this point: Police were called to North Admiral shortly after 11 pm for what the dispatcher initially said sounded like an attempted carjacking. Two areas about two blocks apart have been mentioned – the 1900 block of 44th SW and the 4300 block of SW Holgate. One juvenile suspect was being detained at the scene; someone else was reported to have gotten away in a black Honda, last seen headed west on Holgate. Somewhere in all this, there was gunfire. No one was treated at the scene, but police asked dispatchers to alert local hospitals in case anyone showed up with a gunshot wound. The juvenile suspect is in custody. That’s all we know so far.
2:06 AM: Going into the audio archives from early in this incident – the shots were reported fired by someone “in defense of” the victims, fired as the vehicle left the scene “with seven or eight suspects” inside. That person was still at the scene talking with police (after setting down his gun at their request).
ADDED 1:14 AM SUNDAY: Just received the police summary:
The incident occurred at (11:05 pm Friday) in the 4300 BLK of SW Holgate St. The owner of a vehicle came outside her house and saw four to five suspects inside her vehicle. The suspects were attempting to steal the vehicle. She notified her uncle and friend about the incident. The suspects exited the vehicle, but one of them left his cell phone inside the victim’s vehicle. The uncle grabbed the cell phone from inside the car and threw it on the ground. One of the suspects charged the uncle and he was afraid of being assaulted. The friend of the family fired a warning shot and two more shots at the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects fled the scene. The suspects left one juvenile behind who was arrested and booked at [the juvenile detention center] for attempted/auto theft. The firearm was recovered and submitted to evidence. … The male who shot at the suspects was investigated & released at the scene.
Teja is looking for help finding the hit-run driver who killed their dog:
On Friday (23rd) at 9.45 pm, a red car traveling pretty fast hit and killed our little dog and did not stop.
Not much of an image, however, I was able to screen shot this from our neighbors’ CCTV. It’s all I was able to find unfortunately. Anyone with CCTV on Delridge Way SW (near the Chevron and the other two gas stations down the road), would most certainly have captured something as I’m sure the car would have travelled up the road. Car was going south along Delridge Way SW (toward the Chevron gas station) and actual point of the road where the hit happened was outside of 6527 Delridge Way SW.
If you have any information – and/or video – that might help, the SPD incident number is 24-238482.
Got questions for/about local police/crime/safety? Two events are ahead in West Seattle.
Wednesday Update: Canceled. HOPS WITH THE COPS: This was just announced today – a drop-in event Wednesday, September 4, at Elliott Bay Brewing in The Junction, though SPD‘s flyer clarifies that the officers will not be imbibing:
As noted, the Seattle Police Foundation – a non-governmental nonprofit that supports the department – is picking up the tab for the bites. Elliott Bay is an all-ages venue.
SOUTHWEST PRECINCT CRIME PREVENTION MEETING: As previously announced, the SW Precinct Crime Prevention Council – which has no fixed membership, just whoever shows up – meets on Wednesday, September 11, 6:30 pm at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). In addition to crime updates from the precinct command staff, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka is scheduled to speak. These meetings are a prime time to bring questions about anything from specific incidents to trends.
Three more Crime Watch reports:
SKYLARK BURGLARY: The music venue/restaurant/bar at the north end of Delridge was broken into again on Sunday, proprietor Matt Larson tells WSB:
We were hit…again. Suspect pulled into the parking lot at 6:37 AM Sunday morning. He checked out the front then went to the back, where he used a crowbar to open the back door.
He entered and removed both cash tills and their enclosures, then exited and left within a few minutes. There was $700 worth of equipment and cash stolen as well as damage to the cables and the door, which might have to be replaced (we just had to replace the front door a few months back when they broke in and got into our ATM – good times).
The truck is rather unique and has been seen around West Seattle so hopefully somebody is familiar with it, or at least can be aware of it. If anybody sees some dumped tills – let us know!
The temporary police-report # is T00008584.
Meantime, SPD posted two 2-week-old case summaries on SPD Blotter late today – neither was previously on our radar so here they are, for the record:
MAIL-THEFT ARREST: SPD says this began with 911 calls just before 1 am on August 7 reporting a ski-masked man breaking into mailboxes in the 7900 block of 35th SW – eventually, they say, with seven victims. They found a 28-year-old man nearby, saying he “was in possession of multiple pieces of evidence, including stolen mail, suspected stolen bank cards, a metal pry bar, and he was concealing a loaded firearm. The man had an expired Concealed Pistol License and was prohibited from carrying the firearm in that manner. The Beretta APX 9mm semi-automatic handgun was seized as evidence.” He was booked into jail. We won’t be able to check on his status until tomorrow, as we don’t know his name and this was released too late in the day for us to check with prosecutors.
BURGLARY-ATTEMPT ARREST: This too happened early the morning of August 7, according to the SPD Blotter post. Around 2 am, police were checked out reports of possible gunfire in the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW. They found the shooting scene was a block south, in unincorporated King County. They found a shell casing and a blood trail. Then they got a report of an attempted burglary at a house in the 8800 block of 16th SW and arrested a 32-year-old man nearby. He was carrying a 9mm handgun that police say was linked to the shooting scene in unincorporated King County (and also linked to a homicide victim in Federal Way). He too was booked into jail, and we hope to find out his status, and that of the case against him, tomorrow.
Police checking out reports of possible gunfire have found confirmation of it. They have found “bullet damage to a street sign” and a “bullet fragment” at 29th and Kenyon. 911 got at least three calls – and we got a text – hearing what was described as “rapid gunshots … followed by a single shot,” just before 11:30 pm. No report of injuries.
1:53 PM: Just issued a few minutes ago:
(poster removed after confirmation that missing man was found)
10:20 PM: Per emergency radio, the missing man has been found in a ditch behind his house and SFD has been sent to help get him out. We don’t know his condition but will check with SFD later.
ADDED TUESDAY: SFD tells us the 77-year-old man was in stable condition when their medics checked him out and did not need to be taken to a hospital.
We’ve received some questions about an emergency response at a residential building in the 6300 block of California SW, coded “scenes of violence.” This was for a person with what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds. He’s being taken to a hospital.
For those contemplating self-harm, the 988 crisis hotline is available 24 hours a day.
The photo above is from a texter who says they walked past that vehicle at Fauntleroy and Myrtle this morning around 7 am and that it was still running. We then heard from Aaron, who sent this report and other photos:
I’m writing on behalf of a couple neighbors at Myrtle and Fauntleroy across the street from Gatewood Elementary.
According to the neighbors, a stolen car hit the electrical pole in front of their house and then drove through their fence before being abandoned earlier this morning.
SPD has been through but I don’t have the police report number. Seattle City Light will come later today to replace the pole.
Aaron says the neighbors reported this happened in the 6 am hour. We haven’t found the police-report number or dispatch audio yet but will add any other available info when we do.
Thanks for the tips about SWAT units in Morgan Junction. Police have SW Morgan blocked right now between 40th and 42nd. All they’ll tell us is that it’s a warrant situation.
8:30 AM: The street has reopened.
Four days until this year’s Night Out, celebrating community collaboration and safety coast-to-coast. If you’ve registered your Night Out party, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite has swag for you, available for pickup (updated) 9:30-11:30 am and 2:30 to 4:30 pm Monday (August 5) at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). She’s at right in the photo, with Seattle U interns Rafail Markodimitrakis and Kierra Lee, as they got ready this morning.
(Added: Photo sent by Jennifer Satterwhite)
They’re offering crime-prevention info handouts and goodie bags for kids. If you didn’t get signed up by last Sunday’s deadline, but you’re still having a Night Out party, they might have some extra materials available Monday too.
Several readers asked about a big law-enforcement response at Roxbury Safeway early this evening. On Seattle Police radio, we heard SPD officers sent to back up King County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were “fighting with a suspect,” but the response was called off fairly quickly, as the suspect was reported to have been taken into custody. We just got information from KCSO on what led to this – spokesperson Det. Michael Ramirez says it was dispatched just after 5 pm as a “possible robbery in progress.” Arriving deputies wound up in “a brief struggle” with the suspect, he says, before they were able to make an arrest. Det. Ramirez adds that no injuries were reported and the suspect was taken to King County Jail to be booked for investigation of robbery.
ADDED WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Bail was set today at $10,000 for the suspect, who is 33. He does not appear to have a felony record, though the docket lists many misdemeanor cases in various jurisdictions.
Early Friday, we reported on a single-vehicle crash in the 3800 block of West Marginal Way SW. Firefighters cut open the car – reported to have been “wrapped around a tree” – to get two people out. According to the King County Medical Examiner‘s latest list of death investigations, the driver did not survive. He is identified as 20-year-old Brian U. Nambo Perez. We don’t know the current condition of the other person rescued from the wreckage, a woman reported to be in her 20s, but she was initially described as less gravely injured.
ORIGINAL SUNDAY REPORT: Lots of questions about a sizable police response in Admiral around 8 am. Officers were gone by the time we were able to get to the area but incident audio indicates the initial report was a possible robbery inside an apartment building in the 2100 block of California SW. The victim – reported to be a delivery driver – arranged to meet police near Admiral/42nd, so that’s why people saw officers there too. There was one report that the alleged robber may have brandished an “AR-pattern rifle,” so that’s why some texters saw police with long guns out at one point, and there was also a report he might have been associated with a unit inside the building. Police were still trying to sort out what actually happened, so we will follow up, but a final incident summary won’t be accessible before tomorrow.
ADDED 2:30 PM MONDAY: Here’s what police provided in response to our inquiry:
On July 28, Seattle police responded to the 2100 block of California Avenue Southwest for the report of an armed robbery at an apartment building. The incident happened just before 8 a.m. Officers found the victim, a 38-year-old man, in the 4100 block of Southwest Admiral Way. He told Seattle police he was making a grocery order delivery when a man appeared near the building’s stairs with a rifle and told him to drop the delivery. The victim reported the suspect threatened him and told him to leave while pointing the gun at him. The victim pleaded with the suspect not to fire the rifle, dropped the groceries, and ran to the corner of 44th Avenue Southwest and Southwest College Street to call for help. The suspect was described as a white man in his mid-30s, approximately 5’10” tall, with short black hair and a black beard, wearing plaid pajama pants and a sweater. No arrest has been made at this time.
3:01 PM: Thanks for the tips. Police are investigating the discovery of a dead person on the beach in Fauntleroy, in a residential area south of the ferry dock. Our photo was taken looking south from the dock; the person’s body was on the beach just to the right of the driftwood at the photo’s right edge. This is the same area where a search was under way early Wednesday morning after a report of someone splashing and calling for help. Despite searches by sea and, later in the day, by air, no one was found at that time. We’re following up with police and will add anything more we find out.
3:49 PM: SPD spokesperson Officer Brian Pritchard says the call originally came in as an unclothed man dead on the beach, and that’s what police confirmed upon arrival. He says there’s no sign of foul play, though it’ll be up to the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death.
They do believe this is the same person who was the subject of the Wednesday morning search, because of the clothing found on a small swimming dock (as mentioned in our previous story).
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