West Seattle, Washington
11 Monday
(WSB photo, 42nd/Morgan)
8:36 PM: Police are closing SW Morgan from Fauntleroy to 39th because of a standoff. Per radio communication, a man is “barricaded inside (a residence) with a baby.” We don’t know yet how this started, but avoid the area.
9:12 PM: 41st also is blocked at Morgan. And the SWAT team has been called in.
9:19 PM: Nearby residents heard what sounded like shots; an officer radioed to “send in fire” and asked that others “check on the child.” But we don’t yet know what happened.
9:26 PM: It’s still not clear from the fragmented radio transmissions what happened but talk of placing the suspect into a car leads us to believe he’s in custody. As for the “shots,” keep in mind there are several non-gunshot tactics in situations like this that can sound like shots/explosions but aren’t.Meantime, a neighbor reports SWAT has departed.
SUNDAY UPDATE: SPD released this summary:
At 1928 hours, Officers responded to a call of a male reported to be in crisis who had barricaded himself inside his residence with his infant in West Seattle. SWAT and HNT personnel heard the broadcasted call and responded to the scene. A short time later, the male was taken into custody without incident. The male subject was later transported and booked into KCJ for DV Assault and Criminal Mistreatment.
He remains in the King County Jail tonight.
Fires aren’t allowed on the beach at Lincoln Park, ever, so this one tonight on the park’s north-side shore brought out SFD.
The person who texted the photos described it originally as a “huge bonfire” apparently started by a man who appeared in crisis. Police are there now.
9:34 PM: If you’re wondering about the sirens in Arbor Heights, especially given the search earlier, this isn’t related – a bicyclist was hit by a driver at 35th SW and SW 108th, according to the dispatch, and the driver is reported to have left the scene. The woman who was hit is not reported to have major injuries so the response is being downsized.
10:38 PM: We haven’t heard anything further such as a driver/vehicle description. A comment below says police are looking for video that may show what happened. Meantime, we’re checking with SFD medics re: the rider.
ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: SFD says the 20-year-old woman who was riding when hit was taken to Harborview by AMR ambulance.
9:42 AM: This was logged overnight as a crash under the West Seattle Bridge at 1st/Spokane, but SPD Blotter reports it started with a collision on a bridge offramp, and ended a life:
Seattle police detectives are investigating a fatal collision on the West Seattle Bridge this morning.
At 1:57 a.m., patrol officers responded to reports of a motorcycle crash on the 1st Avenue South off-ramp from the WSB. There, police found a man deceased on the ground below.
The Seattle Fire Department arrived and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.
Police cordoned off the area and detectives with the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) arrived to process the scene.
Detectives determined that the motorcyclist, driving westbound on the WSB, struck a guardrail while taking the off-ramp. The driver flew over the railing, and landed below on the 1st Avenue South sidewalk, where he died from his injuries.
The King County Medical Examiner will take custody of the deceased. Anyone with information is asked to call TCIS at 206-684-8923.
ADDED 2:38 PM: This isn’t the first crash of its kind. Ten years ago, another rider was killed at Spokane/Marginal; we had a followup with his family.
3:59 PM: The King County Medical Examiner has identified the rider as 34-year-old Andrew D. Hedberg.
2:28 PM: Avoid the area.
(Added: Texted photo)
2:39 PM: Original report was a sighting of someone who might have been involved in the South Delridge shooting from earlier.
(WSB photo from Saturday, dropoff boxes in SW Precinct community room)
The total’s in from Saturday’s Drug Take-Back Day dropoffs at the Southwest Precinct. Crime Prevention Coordinator Matt Brown – one of three SPD personnel there when we stopped by – reports, “Thank you so much for all who participated! SW Precinct collected 155.36 lbs of expired medications (which was just barely less than the North Precinct at 156.1 lbs! We’ll get them next time in October). It was a fantastic turnout, and we really appreciated the way West Seattle responded.” Brown also notes that the next Southwest Precinct Advisory Council community meeting with police is tentatively set for May 28 – watch for a detailed announcement when confirmed.
(WSB photos)
Another twice-yearly dropoff event happening right now – the Southwest Precinct community room (right off the public parking lot at 2300 SW Webster) is where to take medication(s) you need to dispose of, during Drug Take-Back Day. The boxes were filling up, but they’re ready to accept whatever you bring; expired and/or unneeded medication left in your home can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. This is continuing until 2 pm today.
(In our top photo are Community Service Officer Janice Young, Officer German Barreto, and Crime Prevention Coordinator Matt Brown.)
For those asking about the big police response in The Junction, near 42nd/Alaska – this was called in as a woman who had a hatchet being chased by a man. Initial reports of weapon involvement always mean a larger response, at least until things are sorted out (as was the case, for example, in an unrelated response in the Luna Park neighborhood a few hours ago, which turned out to be a person in crisis). In this case, nobody is injured, and police have just told dispatch that “both parties are being uncooperative,” so at this point it does not appear anyone will be taken into custody for any alleged crime.
Though the Southwest Precinct is next door, the major police response at the Delridge Home Depot this past hour was big enough to catch a reader’s attention. Here’s what we found out: It started as a shoplifting attempt, with the would-be shoplifter threatening to kill someone who tried to stop him. The police officer who responded decided to search the “wooded area” behind the store – a known encampment site – and asked for backup units. A suspect was found and taken into custody. (Thanks again for tips if/when you see notable police responses – text 206-293-6302 any time.)
12:31 AM: Multiple 911 calls about possible gunfire about 10 minutes ago, and dispatch has told officers one caller has reported a bullet through his window on 35th north of Roxbury. Police are en route to verify. No injuries reported so far.
12:33 AM: Police have not only confirmed the window damage, but also have reported finding casings at 35th SW and SW Cambridge. [map]
(Roadblock just south of shooting intersection, as seen from 35th/Roxbury traffic camera pointed north)
Officers are closing 35th both ways while they look for more evidence.
1:35 AM: Police just announced they’re reopening 35th in a few minutes. And they’ve found bullet damage to at least two cars.
2:26 PM: The photo above is from a comment below. And SPD just sent this in response to our request for followup info:
On April 9, just before 12:30 a.m., patrol officers responded to reports of gunfire near 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Cambridge Street. There, officers found a shooting scene that stretched across the intersection. Three residences and three unoccupied vehicles were struck by the gunfire. Police did not find any witnesses, suspects, or victims with injuries. Investigators recovered dozens of spent shell casings in the roadway.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting are unknown and under investigation. Detectives in the Gun Violence Reduction Unit are assigned to this case. Anyone with information is asked to call the violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.
The SPD incident # is (updated) 26-96582.
ORIGINAL FRIDAY NIGHT REPORT: We asked police to confirm details of an incident we heard over the air this afternoon, involving an armed 93-year-old man arrested after taking his wife from Quail Park of West Seattle, and received this summary a few minutes ago in response:
At about 1:30 p.m., patrol officers responded to reports of a man with a gun at a permanent care facility in the 4500 block of 41st Avenue Southwest. While [they] responded to the call, officers learned that the suspect, 93, was the elderly husband of one of the residents, a 90-year-old woman. The armed man took his wife and left the facility before police arrived.
Officers, with the assistance of the King County Sheriff’s Office, found the man and his wife in Burien. Police and KCSO deputies stopped the vehicle they were in and arrested the suspect without incident and recovered the gun as evidence. Officers booked the suspect into the King County Jail for felony harassment and felony assault.
Police determined that the elderly victim was extremely confused, unable to care for herself, and uncooperative with officers and the Community Service Officers. She refused to go back to the care facility. Instead, she wanted to be released to walk home, where she no longer lives. Police requested an ambulance to take her to the hospital for medical evaluation.
Detectives in the Gun Violence Reduction Unit are assigned to this case.
Radio exchanges during the incident indicated the man was headed to Burien because he lives there, while his wife is a Quail Park resident. Online records show he’s still in custody at the jail.
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The jail roster shows he was released tonight.
We’ve received several texts about this, and dispatch indicates many 911 calls, so we’re mentioning that what may have sounded like gunfire in the Beach Drive/Alki area, wasn’t. Seattle Police sent to check out the reports told dispatch that they’ve talked to people – including a parked ambulance crew – who saw fireworks.
(Added: Reader photo)
9 AM: Thanks for the tips. Police were at West Seattle High School this morning investigating a stolen car crashed and abandoned on the south side of the parking lot campus.The car, a gray Kia Soul, turned out to have been stolen from someone in Seaview; police were reported to be bringing the owner there. Police were dispatched around 7:30 this morning, but whoever had been driving the stolen Kia was gone by then. (If you have any information, the police report # is 26-76480.)
10:22 AM: Added above, photo sent by another reader (thank you!).
Hundreds of Seattle Police vehicles are equipped with automated license-plate readers (ALPRs), and if you listen to police radio, you’ll hear multiple calls every day where officers turn up stolen cars because of an “ALPR hit.” It also turns out that’s how they were alerted to a Silver Alert subject’s presence in Admiral on Monday. But ALPRs also raise privacy concerns, as they routinely gather information potentially linking people to certain locations. So SPD cars won’t be using them for a while, as one of Mayor Katie Wilson‘s surveillance decisions announced this afternoon. She also announced:
-Expansion of surveillance pilot paused “until we have completed a privacy and data governance audit, and taken significant steps to strengthen those policies”
-SPD’s Real-Time Crime Center “will continue to operate and existing cameras will remain in place”
-Cameras planned for installation soon in the Stadium District will be installed “given the unique nature of the upcoming World Cup and the current geopolitical situation” but “they will not be turned on and will not be connected to the RTCC unless we are aware of a credible threat which warrants such action.”
-An installed camera that “has a view of a facility which provides reproductive health care and gender-affirming care” will be turned off “until we’ve completed a comprehensive security audit and have stronger safeguards in place”
-All cameras will be turned off “in the event of a surge of immigration enforcement similar to what was seen in Minneapolis”
Mayor Wilson’s announcement about the ALPRs noted that state legislators “recently added welcome new restrictions to limit the potential abuse of this technology” so she wants to pause their use “until we can ensure that our practices are consistent with the new state law and reflect the best safety and security policies.” The bill that passed the legislature is this one, awaiting the governor’s signature.
The mayor’s full speech about surveillance is in video above, and you can read it online here.
After hearing a police dispatch last night for someone finding a possible “human skull” at the Waste Management transfer station on West Marginal Way, we followed up with police today. Here’s all the info they provided:
On 03/15/2026 at about 7:30 p.m., officers responded to a Waste Transfer station in West Seattle, where a security guard reported finding what appeared to be a human skull. Unable to determine its authenticity, it was photographed in place and entered into evidence. Homicide was contacted as well as the King County Medical Examiner, and a report was written.
The initial dispatch said the possible skull was found “amongst recycling.”
Thanks to the texter who asked us about a sizable police response in the 2300 block of California, just north of Admiral Way, around 8 this morning. It was logged simply as “suspicious/onview” – the latter word indicates something an officer saw and decided to check out – but listening back to the radio archives, we found there was much more to it. The officer noticed something suspicious about a parked car, and running its plates revealed it was associated with a Silver Alert issued hours earlier for 85-year-old Robert, missing from Mill Creek, last seen leaving a medical facility in Bellevue last night. No one was in the car but it was “still warm,” reported the officer, so he and others looked around the area, and eventually found him nearby. Last we heard, they were talking with police in Bellevue, to arrange to get him back. Why he came here, more than 20 miles away – we haven’t heard.
ADDED: Turns out, according to an SPD summary, that the car attracted the officer’s attention because an Automated License Plate Reader detected its involvement in the alert.
9:03 PM: Police are responding to a report of a woman who apparently drove onto “the baseball (area)” at Alki Playfield, and they’re telling dispatch it’s the suspect they were looking for after a hit-run crash a little while ago in the 2600 block of Alki SW. No serious injuries that we’ve heard, but if you notice tire tracks on the field tomorrow, that’s what happened.
10:15 PM: That driver is being taken to jail. Meantime, unrelated but also an alleged case of hit-run, police are with a woman who allegedly hit other cars with her black Mustang on both sides of Elliott Bay before ending up at Delridge/Edmunds. According to police radio, she was followed from downtown to West Seattle by at least one driver who called 911 about her.
Thanks for the tips. Here’s what the major police response near California/Dawson is about: Police were investigating what started as a report of a carjacking, with the suspect known to the victim. Then there was a report that the victim was in the car with the suspect. Police found them both and so far, according to radio traffic, they’ve made an arrest for assault and have called for medical help for the victim.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes made a special guest appearance tonight toward the end of a West Seattle community meeting he originally was expected to lead.
Reminding everyone that he was a teacher before he went into police work, Chief Barnes gave the attendees “homework” – everybody bring at least one neighbor when the “Our City, Our Safety” series returns to West Seattle in August.
Gathered at Southwest Teen Life Center, members of both the large city delegation on hand and the sparse community turnout expressed disappointment that it wasn’t better attended, though it should be pointed out that attending meant going out into gusty wind and sideways rain.
Nonetheless, the meeting went on, emceed by SPD’s director of crime and community-harm reduction, Dr. Lee Hunt, with an introductory presentation featuring local crime stats given by Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Krista Bair and a few words from District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka:
Then the room moved into a half-hour of table discussions that SPD reps said they hoped would help shape an “actionable plan.” We listened in at the table closest to ours; the person who did most of the talking voiced concerns about Alki Beach disorder and unsanctioned encampments. His audience included a Seattle U intern and an SPD Community Service Officer.
At half-hour’s end, Dr. Hunt circulated the microphone so a representative of each table could “report out.”
The first table rep voiced concerns about crime at Westwood Village and nearby Roxhill Park, including several gunfire incidents. Their suggestion: More police presence.
Another said they were worried about “issues people might have, interacting with police,” from behavioral health to language interpretation to knowing when to call 911.
From another table, campfires damaging Fauntleroy Park, and high-school safety were concerns. The table spokesperson said “two young men from Chief Sealth” (International High School) were concerned about guns and would feel more comfortable with police presence at school.
The presence of homeless people on the street was a source of uneasiness for people at another table, while the proposed Glassyard Commons RV/tiny-house shelter site left another table feeling the same way, worrying that it could perpetuate drug use as its operators have said drugs will be prohibited in public areas but not in individual units.
Traffic safety came up shortly thereafter; Deputy Chief Andre Sayles said driver education can make a difference, in his experience in other cities, even more than enforcement. Also mentioned: Alternative responders, keeping businesses safe from “disruptive people” and smash-grab burglars, making more use of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.
Chief Barnes promised to get at least some of the suggestions done. “Our job is to create a plan.” Even for longstanding issues; he joked that Alki’s “racing and loud sounds” problems probably date back to “when there were horses and buggies at Alki Beach.”
Turning serious, he gave his homework assignment – get your neighbors involved too – “we need more people and more input.” With that, the meeting wrapped up 15 minutes short of the originally announced hour and a half.
WHAT’S NEXT: “Our City, Our Safety” will return to West Seattle at 6 pm August 12 at Delridge Community Center.
11:59 PM: Arguably the highest-profile meeting in West Seattle this coming week will be Wednesday (March 11) at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle), when Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes visits for what’s promised as a “community conversation” about public safety.
The meeting is part of a monthly series rotating around the city. Checking the SPD events calendar, we see another one planned in West Seattle at 6 pm August 12th at Delridge Community Center.
12:25 PM MONDAY: Crime Prevention Coordinator Matt Brown tells WSB he just got word the chief won’t be in attendance, so the meeting will be led by Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Krista Bair. We’re following up to ask why the chief can’t be there, as this has been in the works for months.
SPD says a shooting victim who showed up at Harborview Medical Center early Saturday was apparently shot on Alki. Police converged on the hospital around 3:40 am Saturday after getting word the 24-year-old had walked in with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
(SPD photo, police outside Harborview early Saturday)
They couldn’t talk to the victim, who was rushed into surgery, but they found and stopped the car that had dropped him off. The two men inside said the shooting happened during a gathering at 57th/Alki and that they didn’t know the person who they said walked up and shot the victim. They said they put the victim into their car and drove to the hospital. The police summary has no description of the shooter, only that they were in a “white car” that left inn “an unknown direction.” After hearing all this police say, officers went to the beach and found “evidence.” If you have any information, the incident # is 2026-63655. That’s the second night in a row with a violent incident on Alki, after this Thursday night robbery/assault.
(WSB photo)
SFD and SPD were called to that RV on 9th SW between SW Barton and SW Henderson a short time ago; a 911 caller asked for medical help for a woman. As soon as SFD got there, they radioed that she was an “obvious DOA.” They subsequently called for police and the Medical Examiner’s Office, which will investigate the cause of death. The only thing we’ve heard about circumstances is that the caller told dispatchers they had last seen the woman alive last night.
6:58 PM: For those asking about the police search west of The Junction in the Ercolini Park area, they were looking for a missing child – an elementary-aged girl who was out playing with a friend; they went home separate ways and she hadn’t come home, but she has apparently just turned up at a friend’s house – police are working to verify this.
7:02 PM: They’ve just confirmed she’s there and OK.
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