West Seattle, Washington
30 Thursday
5:51 PM: Neighbors gathered at the awareness event regarding the North Delridge rape just broke out in applause at this news: SPD tweeted that they’ve arrested a suspect, an 18-year-old man, in Everett. More when we get it.
ADDED 7:42 PM: No additional information yet about the suspect, and SPD tells us they’re not expecting to have anything more to say tonight. Meantime, more than 30 people had gathered at Cottage Grove Park by the time small groups started fanning out into the neighborhood with teal balloons – for sexual-assault awareness – and flyers.
They hoped to reach neighbors who hadn’t yet heard about Monday evening’s attack, but they also wanted to be respectful of the victim’s privacy – they hadn’t spoken with her yet – so the advocacy was relatively low-key. One organizer said that just to see so much community support was heartening,
They shared stories and concerns as they prepared the balloons before heading out, One woman told us she had just been on the SW Graham stairs from High Point minutes before the victim, and apparently her attacker, traveled the same route. She said she’d been followed just months ago and hasn’t “felt safe in the area for a long time.” But she found hope in neighbors talking with each other.
One man circulated a petition with a letter he said he planned to send City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, inviting her to meet with the community on September 10th. He said he’d never seen things so bad in the neighborhood in the 36 years he’d lived there. And while an organizer expressed appreciation that two SPD officers had stopped by, she said the true power will be in neighbors banding together. “What you guys are doing is one of the most important things a community can do.”
Since this brief mention last night, we’ve been waiting all day for Seattle Police to reply to our request for additional information in last night’s reported sexual assault near 26th/Juneau. Here’s the entirety of what they just released via SPD Blotter:
SPD detectives are investigating after a woman reported she was sexually assaulted Monday evening in West Seattle.
Around 6:15 p.m., officers responded to the Delridge neighborhood for a report of an injured woman.
Officers and a K9 team searched the area for the suspect but were unable to find him. Medics transported the victim to the hospital for treatment.
Police obtained information about a person of interest in the case, a man who was seen in the area wearing a black Air Jordan hooded sweatshirt, a yellow medical mask, black athletic shorts, and slide sandals.
Sexual Assault Unit detectives continue to investigate.
If you have information for detectives, the Sexual Assault Unit is at 206-684-5575.
8:09 PM: Seattle Fire and Police are responding to a reported shooting at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Dispatch says a man in his 30s was shot in the shoulder (at) the outlook.”
8:14 PM: Police are reported to be looking for two vehicles. No descriptions yet.
(WSB photos)
8:17 PM: Officers have told dispatch the shooter was on the right passenger side in an “older” silver Honda, armed with a “long gun.” It and an “associated vehicle,” described as “similar type” but black, were believed to have been last seen headed downhill toward Harbor Avenue.
8:37 PM: Added a photo above. Our crew says police have been examining the vehicle in the foreground but we don’t know yet if it’s related at all to the victim (as noted earlier the suspect vehicle[s]’s long gone).
8:44 PM: Police at the scene are not commenting. Meantime, we’re checking with SFD regarding the victim’s condition when transported to the hospital.
9:18 PM: SFD tells us the victim – now described as “approximately 29” – was in stable condition when taken to Harborview. (Archived audio adds the extra detail that he was shot in the left shoulder with a shotgun.)
9:31 PM: One additional detail from SPD spokesperson Det. Valerie Carson – “Sounds like the victim and the suspects had a confrontation/altercation before the shooting.”
11:07 PM: From the SPD Blotter post about this shooting and another (apparently unrelated) shooting elsewhere in the city tonight:
According to the victim and witnesses, a group of several men approached the victim in a car and confronted him. Then, as the suspects left in their car, one of them fired out the window at the victim. Police recovered 12-gauge shotgun shell casings at the scene.
Police are at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook on Beach Drive after what is believed to be a death by suicide. The original call around 5:40 am was for a possible shooting; SFD’s resulting “scenes of violence” response was quickly canceled because the person was dead. Final determination will be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, and that’s who police told us they were waiting for, when we went to check after receiving a tip.
If you or someone you know is contemplating self-harm, you can get help 24/7 via the new 988 hotline.
Tomorrow at 9:30 am, the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee, chaired by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold, gets its quarterly report on Seattle Police staffing. “Unprecedented separation numbers have continued into 2022,” the presentation prepared for the meeting notes. Through the first half of the year, SPD had lost 109 more officers, and hired 30. The number of departures is close to the 125 originally projected for the entire year.
When the first-quarter report was presented in April, we reported here that Southwest Precinct sworn-staffing numbers had dropped more than any other precinct. The second-quarter report shows the precinct – which covers West Seattle and South Park – has regained what it had lost since last year.
As of the end of June, the new report shows, SW officers and sergeants totaled 65 sworn staff, up from 58 at the end of the first quarter. 65 is the number the precinct had at the end of 2021’s first quarter. Citywide, though, precincts’ total staff has dropped again, from 545 citywide at the end of the first quarter to 539 at the end of the second quarter. That’s more than 20 percent down from two years ago, when precinct staffing citywide totaled 677.
Departures have cost the department monetarily too – the documents for tomorrow’s briefing say that halfway through the year, SPD had spent two-thirds of the year’s budget for separation pay.
The meeting documents also cover some other SPD stats, such as response times dating back to 2019. The presentation notes that “median values [half sooner, half later] are the same or better everywhere except the Southwest Precinct.” One example – median response teams for Priority 1 calls – the most serious crime/life-safety issues – have gone up here from six and a half minutes in 2019 to eight and a half minutes now. (Seven minutes is what SPD is supposed to be aiming for.)
You can watch the presentation/discussion – and/or comment on the meeting – at 9:30 am tomorrow, The agenda explains how; the livestream will be on Seattle Channel.
10:47 PM: Seattle Fire and Police are arriving at 26th/Barton for a report of a person on board a Metro bus with a gunshot wound to the arm. Whether they were shot aboard the bus isn’t clear; police had been on their way to check out a report of shots heard at another location when this call came in.
11:07 PM: Thanks to Regina for the photo. The victim, whose wound is in the forearm, is being taken to Harborview. Meantime, a texter reports they live near Westwood and heard the shots” and adds, “A man who was on the bus told us that the shooter was intoxicated and had been arguing with the victim, then pulled a gun and shot 4 times into the bus. Unclear if the shooter was still on the bus or had exited.”
11:45 PM: They’ve been searching with a K-9 team, and now it appears the Guardian One helicopter is headed this way to help look, too.
3 AM NOTE: No further information tonight; we’re following up later this morning.
ADDED THURSDAY: The King County Sheriff’s Office (which includes Metro Transit Police) is handling the investigation and says there’s nothing additional to report, aside from confirming no one’s been arrested. SFD says the victim is a 26-year-old man, in stable condition when taken to the hospital.
Before the elections next year for Seattle’s seven by-district City Council seats, the boundaries for those seven districts will be redrawn, to reflect population changes. For months, a volunteer commission has been working on drafting new boundaries – we reported on their initial four draft maps in February. Now the commission, chaired by Admiral resident and former mayor Greg Nickels, has come up with one final draft, and is seeking opinions. Above is the section including the proposed new boundaries for District 1, which currently spans West Seattle and South Park, but would expand to add SODO, Georgetown, and part of downtown. See the full citywide draft map here in PDF, or here in an interactive format. From the city’s announcement:
Over the past five months, the Commission has hosted or participated in more than 50 community information sessions, a community survey, and seven public forums to gather feedback from the public about the redistricting process and its potential impact on neighborhoods. This process has resulted in the Commission adopting a draft map of new City Council District boundaries. Members of the public are invited to submit public comment on the draft map and its proposed district boundaries. …
The Commission’s draft map was generated at an open public meeting of the Seattle Redistricting Commission on August 2 and was informed by the public comments submitted over the last five months. The map follows City Charter and state-mandated criteria using geographic information system (GIS) expertise and 2020 Census data to draw new boundaries and establish districts that are compact, contiguous, and approximately equal in population. The map also accounts for additional factors such as – to the extent practical – following existing district boundaries, recognizing waterways and geographic boundaries, and preserving Seattle’s existing communities and neighborhoods.
Public Comment
A discussion of the final draft map will now begin and both public comment and participation are requested by the Seattle Redistricting Commission. Members of the public can review the final draft map and offer feedback at seattle.gov/redistricting/how-to-participate.
The designated public comment period is open from (today) until the date the Commission files the final district plan, which is currently scheduled to be November 8, 2022, and shall be no later than November 15, 2022.
If you would like to obtain a physical copy of the draft map, please contact Logan Drummond at Logan.Drummond@seattle.gov. You can also find a copy at the customer service desk in Seattle City Hall, located at 600 Fourth Avenue.
Public comment can be made:
In-person at one of three Public Forums
–Public Forum #1: Tuesday, August 9th, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Physical Location: Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, Boards & Commissions Room L280
Virtual Link: us06web.zoom.us/j/84697105761
-Public Forum #2: September – date and time TBD
-Public Forum #3: October – date and time TBD
-In-person at any regularly scheduled Seattle Redistricting Commission meeting. Check the Seattle Redistricting Commission website for dates and times.
-In writing using the Seattle Redistricting Commission’s public comment submission form.If you would like more information or to request interpretation services for any of the public forums, please contact Elsa Batres-Boni at Elsa.Batres-Boni@seattle.gov or 206-256-6198.
To compare the proposed boundaries with the current ones – which reflect how the districts were drawn for the first by-district elections in 2015 – see the current map here.
You might have heard about what police called a “road rage” shooting death on 4th Avenue South near Costco one week ago.
We now know the 68-year-old man who was killed, Bob Jensen, had deep roots in West Seattle.
The man who shot and killed him called 911 to report what he’d done. But police haven’t arrested him – they’re looking for more witnesses to help them clarify what happened and whether it was a crime.
Mr. Jensen’s longtime friend David Katt tells WSB he had just seen him the preceding Saturday, at their 50-year reunion for Chief Sealth‘s Class of 1972 – Mr. Jensen, he says, was also an alum of Fauntleroy Elementary and Denny Junior High – so old-school Seattle, he was a “Patches Pal,” as the photo at right underscores. According to Katt, Mr. Jensen cared daily for his elderly mother, “bought groceries for his 96-year-old neighbor, volunteered at the Hydroplane Museum, Ski Patrol … (and was) loved by many in the West Seattle community. We are searching for answers. The lack of an arrest is incomprehensible.”
Police say they got the call at 10:13 am last Thursday (July 21st), that a man had been shot in the 4400 block of 4th Avenue South. They found Mr. Jensen, who had been shot in the abdomen. He died at Harborview Medical Center. One of the 911 calls came from the 38-year-old man who shot him, who police say “remained on scene to provide a statement.” Police say witnesses reported the two men “had been involved in a road-rage incident that escalated to a confrontation, and then a shooting.” They seized the other man’s gun as evidence, but did not arrest him.
Now, they’re looking for more people who may have seen the shooting. Their update says, “There were many vehicles stopped on 4th Avenue South when the shooting occurred, and detectives believe the occupants of those vehicles may include witnesses. Nearby surveillance camera footage shows multiple cars in the area — including vehicles similar to a Lexus SUV, a Toyota Highlander, and a Toyota RAV4.” Here’s an image they’re circulating:
The police call for witnesses says, “If you were in any of the cars identified in these photos, or were stopped in traffic nearby and witnessed any portion of this incident, please call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000 or email SPD_homicide@seattle.gov.”
Mr. Jensen’s friends are hoping for information too, to know what could possibly have happened that led to the violent death of a man they knew as selfless: “Bob was a very skilled carpenter, plumber, welder, electrician. Would work oftentimes for no fee,” says Katt, who adds that his understanding is that Mr. Jensen was unarmed. Police have not released further details about the reported circumstances.
One week from tonight – on Tuesday, August 2nd – side streets around West Seattle (and beyond) will close for neighbors’ block parties during the return of Night Out. It’s a national community-building event with history going back almost 40 years. To close your (non-arterial) street for a Night Out block party, all you have to do is register here.
P.S. If you’re having a party, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner has an offer for you:
On Monday August 1st (the day before Night Out) from 10 am – 2 pm I will be at the SW Precinct, in the community meeting room, to provide you with crime prevention materials, swag, and goodies to give away at your parties!
Please feel free to come by during that time to pick up whatever you might need/want for your get-together.
I will have a variety of goodies, and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If you’ve never been to the precinct, it’s at 2300 SW Webster; the community room is right off the public parking lot on the south side of the building.
6:04 PM: Police are converging on the Fauntleroy/Alaska vicinity, after reports of gunfire outside a business at The Whittaker. No reports of injuries so far and no other info yet on the circumstances. They’re looking for two people described as a Black man and woman in their 20s; he is about 5’6″, with an Afro hairstyle, in baggy black and yellow clothing; she is about 5’5″, straight black/reddish-purple hair, black clothing. She is reported to have fired a shot; he is reported to have a hatchet. More when we get it.
6:10 PM: We talked to a sergeant in the area; they told us they’re still trying to sort out the circumstances of the gunfire, whether someone was specifically targeted or it was random. They confirmed that no injuries are reported.
6:19 PM: Police report finding “one fired cartridge” on the east side of the Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection.
ADDED FRIDAY: Only one added detail from a police summary today (also noted by a commenter) – the incident started at the gas station in the California/Alaska intersection.
Police were just dispatched to the Jefferson Square Safeway to investigate what’s described as a shoplift-turned-robbery. Dispatch told officers the shoplifter took about $90 in merchandise and, when confronted, pulled a gun – that’s what turned it into an armed robbery. Initial description is a Hispanic man in his 20s, wearing a gray T-shirt with a Seahawks logo, tattooed arms, who left in a dark-blue Subaru hatchback, last seen eastbound on SW Edmunds. No injuries reported.
One or both of these might be of interest:
ISLAND VIEW BLOCK WATCH: Two months ago, a resident of this complex was carjacked, and that brought safety concerns in the spotlight. Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner asked us to publish this announcement:
Date: Tuesday July 12th
Time: 6 pm- 7 pm
Location: Island View SHA Senior Living Community (3033 California Ave SW)
Topic: Community Safety and Block Watch
Please join us if you live within a few blocks of Island View to speak about what Block Watch is all about, how to report suspicious and/or criminal activity and how to assist in making your community safer.
COMMUNITY-POLICE DIALOGUES: Wherever you live in West Seattle, you’re invited to a conversation with police and researchers. Here’s the invitation:
Seattle University collaborates with the Seattle Police Department to conduct the annual Seattle Public Safety Survey as part of the Micro-Community Policing Plans (MCPP). As part of the MCPP, Seattle University will be holding a series of virtual community-police dialogues. The purpose of the dialogues is to provide community members and Seattle Police personnel opportunity to engage in conversation about the findings of the 2021 Seattle Public Safety Survey and to discuss real-time concerns about crime and public safety at the precinct and micro-community (neighborhood) level.
You don’t have to live in one of the MCPP neighborhoods to participate in the next Southwest Precinct-specific dialogue; it’s happening online at 5:30 pm Thursday, July 14th. If you’re interested, the registration link is here.
12:24 PM: Thanks for the tips about the police/fire response in the alley east of the 4500 block of 44th SW in The Junction around 11 am, just east of Wells Fargo. Police told us the call came in as a person down, and the person had died. Archived emergency-radio audio indicates someone was trying to perform CPR before responders arrived, and SFD continued trying, but the person could not be revived. It’ll be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death. No other info so far.
ADDED MONDAY: We doublechecked with police today, and they reiterate that so far, there’s “nothing suspicious” about the death. The ME’s Office has not yet released a name or cause of death. The person who tried to save him and initially called 911 described the person as a man.
Police are in the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW right now, investigating a reported shooting. The victim apparently turned up in White Center, so there’s been no medical callout at the Delridge scene. No information on circumstances yet; we’ll update if/when we find out more.
(WSB photo)
11:49 AM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle Police are investigating a robbery at the Westwood Village Chase Bank. Investigators were all inside the bank when we went over to try to find out more, so we weren’t able to talk with anyone, but it was dispatched about an hour ago as a “robbery at gunpoint,” involving two robbers; the gun was implied but not seen. No injuries reported. The bank is still closed while the investigation continues. We’re still listening to archived audio for description information.
12:07 PM: Officers told dispatch that the robbers were seen getting away in a silver sedan, likely a mid-2000s Mercedes “S or E class” linked to other robberies. They were described as 20ish Black men, one clothed partly in black and one clothed partly in orange; the car, with no rear plate, was last seen headed northbound on 29th SW from Barton.
3:02 PM: A bit more information from the preliminary police summary – “The (robbers) handed the bank employee a note that requested money and threatened to shoot up the bank if their demands weren’t met. The bank employee gave (them) cash, and (they) left the bank and entered a vehicle that was near Roxhill Park. … The suspects in this robbery are possibly the same suspects from a Robbery that occurred later at a Chase Bank in Des Moines.”
Police were investigating a report of gunfire on West Marginal Way around 3 pm. We asked for information and just got their summary:
Officers responded to a shooting near Highland Park Way SW and W Marginal Way SW. Upon arrival, they located the victim and his vehicle. The victim’s vehicle had three bullet holes in it. The victim stated he observed drivers of two older sedans racing each (other) from the Chelan Cafe heading southbound on W Marginal Way SW. The victim, who was not involved in the racing, stated that when he caught up to one of the vehicles he confronted the driver and passenger about the reckless driving. Heated words were exchanged between all parties and ended when both the driver and passenger of the Honda Civic shot at the victim’s vehicle. The suspects then fled the scene heading southbound toward Tukwila. Shell casings were recovered at the scene and a bullet fragment from the victim’s vehicle. No injuries to the victim.
6:48 PM: Thanks for the tips. The big police response at 34th/Morgan was because of a person in crisis outside the Stewart Manor. He was believed to have possibly had a knife. Police have just ended the standoff and taken him into custody after using a beanbag round. The scene should be clearing soon.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The police-report summary says they first got a call at 3:06 pm:
Officers arrived and located the suspect in an agitated state holding a stick and claiming to want to fight the reporting party. The suspect was observed while the victim was contacted. The victim reported that the suspect had approached his apartment door brandishing a knife while making threats to kill the victim and causing damage to the door. Probable cause was established for felony harassment. The suspect was advised he was under arrest, but he retreated further into a contained rear fence area. The suspect produced a knife and waived it at officers while stating he wanted to fight and was planning suicide by cop. After verbal communications broke down, HNT was requested. A lengthy standoff ensued until the subject’s behavior escalated. After breaking a window with a large rock, the suspect removed his belt and held it as a whip in one hand while waiving the knife around in the other. The suspect began cutting himself with the knife causing multiple lacerations to his torso and arm. In an effort to take the suspect into custody, a less lethal launcher was used resulting in a type II Use of Force. The suspect became compliant shortly thereafter and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was transported to HMC for medical treatment before being booked into KCJ.
(HNT = trained officer[s] from the Hostage Negotiation Team.)
12:35 AM: Police are investigating two reported shootings right now in West Seattle. SFD is arriving at 26th and Juneau for a report of a gunshot victim there. This was a short time after King County Sheriff’s Office deputies got a call from someone who said they were taking a shooting victim to a Burien hospital and subsequently learned the shooting was reported to have happened in the city, near 16th/Cambridge. We don’t know if these reports are linked in any way. More info when we get it.
1:15 AM: We haven’t heard anything more regarding 16th/Cambridge, but at what’s been revised to 25th/Juneau, SFD told dispatch that police reported one person ‘obviously deceased.” We don’t know yet if this is a homicide investigation.
2:01 AM: No official information from police yet but listening back to radio recordings, the area where the person died was described as an encampment. And right now, police are continuing to canvass the area for cameras.
3:22 AM: Here’s what SPD just posted:
(SPD photo)
Detectives are investigating after a man was shot and killed at a Delridge encampment early Monday morning.
At 12:20 a.m., a 911 caller reported someone had been shot in an encampment near 26th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Juneau Street.
Officers arrived and located the male shooting victim, who had sustained significant injuries. Seattle Fire Department Medics responded to the scene and declared the man deceased.
Members of SPD’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit responded to process the scene for evidence. Homicide detectives also responded and will continue to investigate.
Anyone with information about this incident should call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
This is the first homicide case in West Seattle since the deadly Alki shooting one year ago.
ADDED TUESDAY: The King County Medical Examiner identifies the victim as 37-year-old Dylan Hunter and says he died of a gunshot wound to the head.
UPDATED WEDNESDAY: Though at the time that ID was announced, this was the only shooting death reported in the city, police are now saying they’ve discovered another one that happened at an encampment in Ballard, and that’s apparently the one linked to the name mentioned here yesterday.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Concerns about safety in and around Westwood Village were the focus of a community forum organized and hosted by the Seattle Police Department.
The meeting was held online last week by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, at the request of staff and residents at nearby Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor), but was open to neighbors and the general public (as we previewed here). The agenda included safety trends, suggestions for how to best communicate with neighbors and report issues to SPD effectively, and how to best use the neighborhood Block Watch model.
Danner was joined in the meeting by Southwest Precinct officer Tammy Frame, along with Crime Prevention Coordinator colleagues Sarah Lawson and Katelyn Yep (from SPD’s North Precinct).
Lots of questions after Seattle Police and a King County Medical Examiner’s Office crew were seen on SW Admiral Way outside Schmitz Park on Tuesday afternoon. As we told several people who have inquired, the call classification indicated no foul play suspected, but we verified that today to be sure before writing about it. Police say the person was found dead “on the stairs” into the park, and that there’s “nothing suspicious at this time,” but it will be up to the ME to determine how/why the person died. So far, we don’t have any information about the person – but will add anything we do find out.
SPD published a roundup tonight of confirmed gun-involved incidents around the city this weekend. Three cases of confirmed gunfire – no injuries – were in West Seattle:
SATURDAY, 4:21 AM: Officers “found multiple shell casings” after 911 callers said they heard gunfire in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW [map].
SUNDAY, 1:37 AM: Officers “collected shell casings and documented ballistic damage to a parked car” after getting reports of “two groups … shooting at each other” in the 1000 block of Harbor Avenue SW [map].
SUNDAY, 6:13 AM: Police found “ballistic evidence” after residents in the 8800 block of 9th SW [map] called to report suspected gunfire. Officers were told of “a male suspect chasing another man through back yards, including scaling a shed at one point.”
We noticed that Seattle Police car at Alki Beach around 6:30 pm, a few hours before officers are supposed to start helping Parks personnel close the park for the night. This is the first night of a second summer for the 10 pm closing time at Alki (and Golden Gardens); we first reported in March that the city planned to do it again this year. The beach wasn’t too busy when we went through, but the below-60 temperature is likely more responsible for that than anticipation of early park closure. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Martin Rivera told the Alki Community Council last week that Parks is supposed to cover the cost of two officers assisting at closing time. One more change ahead at Alki: The beach fire rings are supposed to officially open starting tomorrow; fires are supposed to be out by 9:30 pm.
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