West Seattle, Washington
25 Tuesday
12:35 AM: Some asked about a big police response a little while ago in the West Marginal Way vicinity near the 1st Avenue South Bridge. That was because of a street-racer takeover after the racers met up at 2nd/Michigan.
(Added: Reader video from the resulting traffic blockage)
Police headed that way too and the gathering scattered, reportedly mostly heading south via 509. Now that they’ve dispersed, officers are returning to what they were doing previously – including, according to one directive, an Alki patrol.
12:41 AM: Now there’s a takeover with cars and spectators reported on the northbound 1st Ave. S. Bridge – again dispersing as soon as police came into view, this time reported to be headed southbound on East Marginal.
(Added: WSB photos)
10:52 AM: Police are closing westbound SW Roxbury in the 28th SW vicinity and eastbound at 30th. They’ve been trying to stop a man who reportedly has been in multiple areas of West Seattle this morning swinging a shovel at people and signs. Officers have also told dispatch he appears to be armed with at least one knife. No injuries reported but avoid the area for a while.
11:09 AM: Our crew reports this is all centered around the service station on the south side of 30th/Roxbury right now (that’s the county side, but this all started in the city, so it’s SPD’s case). Officers are in a standoff with the man, who is by the propane area (right side of the photo above).
11:27 AM: The former Roxhill Elementary building, now home to several Seattle Public Schools programs, is in shelter-in-place, per police radio. (This is the last day of the school year, with one-hour early dismissal scheduled districtwide.)
11:33 AM: Officers just told dispatch that they’ve taken the man into custody. An ambulance that was standing by (for possible [corrected] “involuntary treatment”) is being sent in. An SFD engine too.
11:40 AM: Dispatch has been told that the school building can be told it’s OK to lift shelter-in-place, and that the other area containment will be broken down, which means SW Roxbury should reopen soon.
11:51 AM: Our crew reports the man has been loaded into the ambulance for transport. Meantime, Metro says its buses have resumed travel on Roxbury.
(Tonight’s sunset, photographed by Carol Ann Joyce)
Summer officially arrives tomorrow afternoon. By Friday night, everybody’s out of school. But if you haven’t totally scheduled the entire summer yet, these four free/low-cost possibilities might be of interest:
FREE ONE-DAY ENVIRONMENTAL CAMP FOR ALL AGES: Puget Soundkeeper sends word of an intergenerational day camp as part of its Salmon and Legacy Debris Project (individual youth or adults, parents with kids, or grandparents with grandkids are all welcome!). This is happening in West Seattle, at Heron’s Nest Outdoor Education Center (4818 Puget Way SW):
Join Puget Soundkeeper for a free, one-day-only intergenerational summer camp on Saturday, July 13th from 10 AM to 4 PM! Come explore the connections between salmon, stormwater, and tires with Puget Soundkeeper and Heron’s Nest!
Some things to look forward to include exploring examples of green stormwater infrastructure; experimenting with DIY stormwater filters; learning about the natural and industrial history of the Duwamish River; and learning to navigate by scent, just like a migrating salmon! Rumor has it we may be making edible Grattix boxes as an afternoon snack! If you are interested, signup will be on a first come, first serve basis. Here is the registration link
WEST SEATTLE HS YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMP: This is also on July 13, 10 am-noon at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW), free to the first 100 kids to register, open to students who will be in K-8 as of this fall.
“Non-contact skills and drills” are promised, with West Seattle HS coaches and players. Here’s the registration form.
SOCCER CAMP: Also at Hiawatha, 10 am-noon this Saturday and Sunday (June 22-23), Dream Wings Youth Soccer Foundation is offering a two-day soccer camp for $10, ages 7-10. Here’s the registration form.
CRIME SOLVERS CAMP: SPD is offering a one-week camp for middle schoolers, July 22-26, noon-5 pm each day, in SODO:
The Relational Policing Innovation Team at the Seattle Police Department, in partnership with the City of Seattle Attorney’s Office and Target, are thrilled to announce our Crime Solvers Youth Camp this summer! Our aim is to educate and inform the campers about the criminal justice system from start to finish through a multitude of different topics and diverse presenters. Throughout the week of programming, we will be walking our campers through an entire case, starting with CSI evidence gathering, teaching about witness/suspect interviewing, trial prep and a mock trial jury, alongside presentations on other safety topics and specialty units.
This unique experience, tailored specifically for Seattle Public Middle School students, aspires to bridge an educational gap between students and the court system to explore a better understanding of our judicial system together! Here is the link to the application.
Here’s the flyer. Registration is open through the end of this month.
(Texted photo)
3:52 PM: Lots of questions about this. Police have converged on a car in Arbor Heights, near 35th/Ocean View, to investigate whether it’s linked to an incident in Fauntleroy involving someone in a car with a gun. They’re questioning two people. So far as we’ve heard in monitoring, they’re still trying to sort it all out; the resident who sent the photo says officers told him it started as a domestic-violence incident. The car that was stopped was reported to have two children in it.
(WSB photo)
4:19 PM: One man has been arrested, police tell us at the arrest scene. The original incident, in which a gun was brandished, happened near 45th/Wildwood in Fauntleroy. We don’t know whether a gun was found but officers were bagging various items as apparent evidence. The aforementioned children’s mom was brought to the scene earlier so they are OK.
ADDED THURSDAY 11:18 AM: Here’s the brief initial SPD summary of the incident:
Multiple bystanders in the 9200 block of 46 AV SW attempted to intervene in an in-progress assault. The suspect assaulted the bystanders, then produced a handgun, pointed it at multiple people, and fled in a vehicle with the original victim. Officers located the vehicle and detained all occupants. The suspect was arrested and booked …
The suspect is 21 years old and remains in jail this morning, under investigation for assault and unlawful gun possession, the latter because of an assault conviction – we’re still looking into court records but the docket says he was charged in 2021 and resolved the case with a guilty plea in 2022. As for Wednesday’s arrest, there will likely be a probable-cause hearing this afternoon that would determine whether he remains in custody (an initial decision on charges would be later this week); we’ll be checking with prosecutors on what happens next.
ADDED 11:38 AM: The suspect has an extensive record going back to juvenile cases when he was 15 years old. The 2022 conviction involved a gunfire case in Kent, but he has other gun-related convictions, leading to this passage in the charging documents from that case, in a passage arguing for bail (which at one point in that case was set at $1 million):
The Superior Courts of King and Pierce County have repeatedly ordered the Defendant not to possess firearms and he has violated that order with impunity. There is no expectation that he would follow such an order if released. He not only possesses firearms, he endangers the public by his wanton use of them.
He was sentenced in January 2023 to almost five years in state prison for the Kent case, but that included credit for time already served in county jail. We’ll be checking with the Department of Corrections to see when he was released.
ADDED 12:56 PM: DOC says he was released from prison six weeks ago (and is on “community custody” aka parole currently).
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: We haven’t received documents from today’s hearing yet, but the jail docket shows his bail was set at $100,000.
10:54 PM: Second case today of confirmed gunfire: This time in North Delridge, on SW Brandon just east of 29th [vicinity map]. Officers just told dispatch they’ve found shell casings there, after multiple 911 callers in the area reported hearing shots a short time ago. No injuries or property damage reported so far; no witnesses, either, so there’s no word so far of shooter or (potential) vehicle description.
11:06 PM: Officers report they’ve “collected nine 9-millimeter casings.”
In recent weeks, Southwest Precinct police have mentioned at community-council meetings that the precinct would soon change commanders. Today we’ve finally been able to confirm that. Capt. Krista Bair will take over next Tuesday (June 19). Online research indicates she is a 20+-year veteran of police work, with SPD roles including positions in the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Unit (updated: which she currently commands) and Office of Police Accountability. Capt. Martin Rivera, who has led the precinct since October 2021, will become “the new commander of the Violent Crimes Section,” according to SPD’s media team. Capt. Rivera tells WSB, “I am sad to go and will miss this beautiful community and the connections I have made.” He also confirms that Captain Bair will be the first female commander of the Southwest Precinct, which covers West Seattle and South Park. She was featured on the national website for the 30X30 Initiative aimed at advancing women in policing; read their Q&A with her here.
12:24 PM: Police are in Arbor Heights investigating a report of gunfire. Dispatch told officers that a 911 caller reported seeing three people “shooting into a pond” near 32nd Place/32nd Avenue SW. Police have taken two possible suspects into custody and reported finding a gun as well as casings. No injuries are reported.
12:35 PM: One suspect was found near 30th/Roxbury. We’ve gone to both scenes but police are still busy talking to people and no additional information is available yet; we’ll be following up later.
4:56 PM: The only additional thing police could tell us when we followed up is that one of the detained teenagers was booked into juvenile detention for investigation of unlawful gun possession.
(Traffic enforcement on Sylvan Way, 2021 reader photo from Sam)
First of two reports from last night’s District 1 Community Network meeting: Traffic enforcement is returning to West Seattle. Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Nathan Shopay said they’ve been talking with SPD’s Traffic Unit and they were going to get some spot enforcement efforts, as schedules allow. No dates/times/locations yet, but don’t be surprised if you happen to see a motorcycle officer with a radar gun in one of the local hotspots sometime soon. Years ago, SPD had regular traffic-enforcement operations, and SPD Blotter even used to regularly publish lists of where they’d been and what the fastest speeds detected had been (example: this 2011 story mentioning 55 mph on Admiral Way). Our story on the rest of the D1CN meeting – including the group’s decision to disband – is in the works for later, likely tonight Friday.
ORIGINAL THURSDAY REPORT: Thanks for the tip. Here’s why police are at 35th/Avalon: It’s a standoff, according to SPD media team spokesperson Officer Eric Muñoz, to whom on-scene police referred us. He said SPD has responded to the apartment multiple times since a disturbance call around 12:30 am. He said no one’s been hurt and there’s no indication the barricaded person is armed.
ADDED MONDAY: SPD has released this summary:
At 0421 hours, Officers were dispatched to an apartment building on the 3200 block of SW Avalon Wy for a noise disturbance. Officers arrived at the location where they attempted to contact the resident; however, Officer presence aggravated him, so Officers made the decision to clear. At approximately 0536 hours, Dispatch advised that the subject was now threatening to kill a neighbor and burn down the building due to the complaint being made. Officers returned to the location. As Officers approached the building, from the fifth-floor balcony the subject threw a fire extinguisher that almost struck an Officer. PC was established for Felony Harassment and Attempted Assault 3. The subject barricaded himself in his apartment unit and refused to come out. Officers contained the scene. (Hostage negotiator/s) arrived and established communication with the subject. After several hours of speaking with him, they believed he was no longer a threat to others, the only thing escalating his behavior was our presence. The subject mentioned to (the negotiator/s) that he had an appointment coming up with a mental health professional. The on-duty Lieutenant at the scene, (the negotiator/s), and Patrol concluded that clearing from the scene would be best to de-escalate the situation.
(WSB photo, police @ Westcrest)
6:15 PM: If you’re wondering about the police search in Westcrest Park – they’re looking for an 82-year-old woman who’s been missing since about noon. We don’t know her name – there’s been no official public alert so far – and police don’t have a photo, but she may have a white Jack Russell Terrier with her; she reportedly was dropped off at the Westcrest dog-park area with two dogs around 10:40 am and was supposed to be picked up at 11:40. The other dog was found, loose, at the park, within the past hour. The only description we have is that she is white, with curly white hair, 6 feet tall, and usually uses a walker. If you have any information, call 911 – the case number for reference is 24-152647.
8:05 PM: The missing woman has just been found, safe – according to police radio, she turned up at Shree’s at Detroit/1st, saying she needed a ride home, which officers are now providing.
After 911 calls about suspected gunfire in South Delridge, police have found evidence of it. Officers told dispatch they’ve found “a scene” at 15th/Barton. Nobody reported injured, so far.
1:07 AM: It’s the kind of call more often heard for Harbor Avenue or West Marginal Way – hundreds of people gathered, drivers doing donuts and burnouts. But instead, a short time ago, that was what police reported finding at 42nd/Alaska in The Junction. Above is our framegrab from the nearest camera as police were arriving (the stunt driving would have been just out of view, west of what the camera shows). The drivers have dispersed – headed northbound on California, officers told dispatch, and “about 30” seen heading eastbound on the bridge – but dozens of spectators “in masks” were reported leaving the scene on foot.
2:01 AM: Someone in a nearby apartment caught some of this on video and sent it to us:
They said, “There was another car doing donuts before the one captured on my video, and definitely disturbances before that. There were well over 50 to 70 people in over a dozen or so cars (though only two or three did donuts, over half of them were deliberately loud when accelerating away). Even before the ‘main show’ there was excessive driving up and down Alaska for maybe a half an hour before that.”
ADDED 3:01 AM: Another reader, also wishing to remain anonymous, sent video that shows the same car but then continues after police arrive, so you can see how those gathered reacted.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Police responding to suspected gunfire in North Delridge have just told dispatch that they’ve found evidence – shell casings on the one-lane bridge across Longfellow Creek near 28th SW and SW Nevada [map]. There’s a report that someone saw a person in a vehicle firing a gun, possibly a dark SUV. No injuries reported so far.
ADDED MONDAY: Police finally released a bit of additional information – that they found a total of three casings. No injuries or damage otherwise.
1:36 PM: After four years, and amid multiple lawsuits, Adrian Diaz is out as Seattle Police Chief, as citywide outlets had reported earlier. In making the official announcement a short time ago, Mayor Bruce Harrell said that Diaz will stay with SPD and work on “special projects,” but that he and Diaz had agreed that “with the amount of litigation” in progress, “the kind of culture change we want would be best served with him stepping aside.” Taking over the department as Interim Chief is Sue Rahr, who served as King County Sheriff from 2005 to 2012. “She is the right person at the right moment to lead SPD into the future,” Harrell said, adding that she’s “not a candidate for the permanent appointment” so they’re launching a “nationwide search” and he is “looking outside the department,” while also keeping the door open for internal candidates. The search also will include help from former SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole, he said. Rahr said she wants the SPD ranks to know “we’re going to get through this” and asked them to be “brutally honest and open with me” regarding the challenges they’re facing. Harrell said some progress is being made against crime – the homicide rate is down 44 percent over last year, for example – and said that applications for police positions are up, “17 to 19 applications a day since (the contract approval), compared to 5 to 6 a day a year ago.” (Just yesterday, a City Council committee got a dismal report on hiring and staffing.) Any other command-staff changes? Harrell was asked. That’s “under discussion,” he replied.
Checking archives, we note that Rahr was a co-chair of the advisory group that recommended a slate of candidates for the chief position in 2018 that drew fire for not including then-acting chief Carmen Best (who eventually was reconsidered and then promoted). She resigned as sheriff in 2012 to lead the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, from which she retired in 2021.
2:34 PM: Here’s Seattle Channel video of the hourlong announcement and Q&A:
(added) And here’s the official news release.
4:58 PM: Here’s what District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka of West Seattle, vice-chair of the Public Safety Committee, said via email:
I want to join Mayor Bruce Harrell in thanking Chief Diaz for his 27 years of faithful service to the SPD and four years as Chief. I fully support Mayor Bruce Harrell’s decision. As I have said before, I am deeply troubled by reports of sexual harassment, discrimination and a toxic culture within SPD. That type of behavior has no place in our police department. I am ready to do everything I can to help support Interim Chief Rahr address those issues and ensure SPD is able to attract and retain the best officers in the country. I look forward to opportunities to partner and to continue our legislative oversight role in ensuring the city has the best police department to serve all our residents.
4:58 PM: After multiple 911 calls reporting suspected gunfire in North Delridge, officers have just reported to dispatch that they’ve confirmed it, finding “a scene” at 25th/Juneau. No report of injuries so far.
5:01 PM: Police say they’ve found 19 casings of two different calibers so far and that a witness told them a “group of four” did the shooting.
(WSB photo)
5:35 PM: Police were wrapping up when we got to the scene a short time ago but did point out what you see in our photo above: a bullet hole in the windshield of a Range Rover parked on Juneau outside the Longfellow Creek Apartments.
ORIGINAL SUNDAY REPORT: Thanks for the tips about a briefly large police response seen heading into West Seattle. We’ve just talked to police at the scene. It was a call for backup while officers were responding to a burglary reported in the 2500 block of 57th SW. A suspect was taken into custody and the request for backup was canceled. According to what an officer just told dispatch, the suspect might also have been involved in an Admiral-area burglary on Saturday. (added) Listening back to original dispatch audio, the suspect was reported to have had a knife when this morning’s incident was first called in and was “possibly in crisis.”
TUESDAY NOTE: A few more details have been published today on SPD Blotter. The suspect remains in jail; we’re checking with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office regarding next steps.
2:57 AM: Police and fire are arriving at a reported shooting scene in the 9400 block of 27th SW. A woman is reported to have been shot in the leg.
3:04 AM: The victim is reported to be in her 30s or 40s with a “gunshot wound to each leg.” No information over the air yet about the circumstances of the shooting or suspect(s) description.
3:20 AM: No one is reported to be in custody. We listened back to the first few minutes of dispatch audio (from approximately 2:45 am); the dispatcher told police that callers reported five to 15 shots, and “three unknown-race males in black clothing and black hoods … running westbound.” The dispatcher told officers that the victim was inside a residence but the shots “came from outside.”
8:18 AM: SFD tells us the victim is 21 and that she was in stable condition when taken to Harborview.
1 PM: We asked SPD for followup information; here’s what they’ve posted to SPD Blotter:
A woman was injured and her child nearly struck, when bullets pierced their bedroom wall Wednesday morning in West Seattle.
At approximately 2:40 a.m., officers responded to the 9400 block of 27th Avenue Southwest to a report of a female shot. Officers arrived and located a female victim who had been shot twice in the legs. Officers provided medical aid until the Seattle Fire Department arrived and transported her to HMC in stable condition.
Officers learned the female victim and her child were sleeping in the same bed when gunfire rang out from a nearby courtyard. The toddler was unharmed. Officers located dozens of casings and recovered several spent bullets.
Gun Violence Reduction Unit detectives responded to the scene and will be leading the investigation. The exact circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation. If anyone has information, please call the SPD Violent Crime Tip Line at (206) 233-5000, or Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers never asks for your name, and you can remain anonymous.
12:46 AM: Police are arriving in the 1100 block of Harbor Avenue, where a man is reported to have been shot in the leg. The four suspects are said to have fled southbound on Harbor in a black Acura MDX with no plates and tinted windows. Police are investigating whether this is related to a report that someone was shot at on Beach Drive by a black SUV with four people inside.
(Reader photo via text, Harbor Avenue scene)
12:49 AM: Officers just told dispatch they have found several casings at the Harbor Avenue scene. They’re closing the street in both directions while they investigate.
(Reader photo via text, Harbor Avenue scene)
12:53 AM: Police told dispatch they now do believe the two are related. The black Acura is reported to have one headlight out. Officers say they’ve found 23 casings; SFD is treating the injured person, who they say has “minor injuries to the ankle.” The Beach Drive gunfire location, meantime, is described as near Andover.
1:04 AM: Officers investigating the Beach Drive report say they’ve found one casing so far, in the 4000 block. … Minutes later, a second one near Carroll (Weather Watch Park cross-street).
1:24 AM: Now the Beach Drive investigation is “up to five casings.” Meantime, the Harbor Avenue victim is reported to have had injuries so relatively minor that he declined to be taken to a hospital.
ADDED MONDAY: SPD summarized the incident on its SPD Blotter website over the weekend. As we noted in a followup mention Friday in our report on the Alki Community Council’s meeting, it appears the one person who was injured was shot after a traffic-related dispute.
9:49 PM: Police have closed both directions of 16th Avenue SW in front of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) while they try to get someone out of a vehicle; as our photo shows, it’s the area with a few parked RVs, but police are asking over a loudspeaker for someone to exit a “car.” We don’t know yet exactly what this is about – we have a crew at the scene hoping to speak with an officer – but wanted to let you know to avoid the area.
9:54 PM: We just talked with a sergeant who says someone they believe is armed is in one of the RVs and that’s who they are telling to come out – no details yet on why he came to their attention in the first place, though. The sergeant warns that it’s a standoff so far and could last a few hours.
10:46 PM: Not resolved yet, per update officers just gave to dispatch.
11 PM: Another update from officers to dispatch: They’ve seen no indication anyone is actually in the trailer and have no indication that there’s an active danger to anyone, so they’re leaving. The street is reopening.
ADDED: From the SPD summary of the incident:
Officers responded to a report of a disturbance with a gun. Responding Officers established probable cause for Felony Harassment with a firearm by a known suspect. Officers contained the suspect’s trailer/residence and attempted to hail possible occupants of the trailer. During these attempts, the 6300 block of 16 Ave SW was blocked to vehicle traffic. After a sufficient amount of time, Officers were unable to determine whether the trailer was occupied. No continued threat to life or public safety was determined and Officers disengaged and cleared from the scene.
That’s an edited video released by Seattle Police tonight showing two arrests – one following a foot pursuit that crossed SW Roxbury at one point – following an incident two weeks ago at the Walgreens in South Delridge. The accompanying SPD Blotter post says it happened the evening of April 28; police were flagged down about a cash-register theft at the store, and as the video shows, they were there as a 20-year-old woman walked out of the store holding the stolen register; it took a while longer to arrest the 40-year-old man they say was with her – the video shows him initially walking away, unchallenged. Police say both were booked into jail that night, the woman for theft and unlawful gun possession, the man for obstructing a law enforcement officer and “a previous incident of domestic violence.” We don’t know whether either was subsequently charged, as we won’t be able to get their names until tomorrow.
4:16 PM: District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka was one of eight “yes” votes on the years-in-the-works Seattle Police officers contract approved during today’s just-concluded council meeting. The only “no” vote was Councilmember Tammy Morales, who wanted to delay the vote, saying the public hadn’t had enough time to hear about and comment on the agreement. But no other councilmember supported that idea. Saka said that, like Morales, he is also concerned about officer accountability and civilian oversight, and hopes to find “other ways” to “strengthen” them. Saka, vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, said he believes the pay increases in the new contract will bring SPD closer to “competitive pay,” which he sees as a “central component” in retention as well as hiring. It’s been two weeks since the mayor announced the tentative agreement, which covers contractless years through the end of 2023 (by which point the wage increases total 23%); read the full agreement here.
P.S. This is likely to be a topic at the mayoral public-safety forum for West Seattle/South Park tonight – 6 pm at Concord International Elementary (723 S. Concord) – the online RSVPs have closed but you can still attend if you didn’t sign up in advance, that page says.
6:05 PM: Shortly after the council vote, Mayor Harrell signed it.
Thanks to the texter who sent the photo – a Seattle Police Mounted Patrol sighting at Westwood Village. They’re seen around West Seattle on occasion, as they’re based here, at Westcrest Park (as shown in this WSB story from last year); SPD has told us in the past that this is one of the places they go to get acclimatized to being around people and traffic. Community interaction is the unit’s main job, aka “relational policing” –
12:42 PM: Seattle Police just issued an alert for this woman missing in West Seattle:
Jonette is 79 years old, 5’1″, thin, brown-gray hair, brown eyes. Police say she has dementia and was last seen in the 4700 block of 42nd SW. No info on what she might be wearing. If you see her, call 911.
2:20 PM: Jonette is also now the subject of a Silver Alert, which offers a bit more information, including that she lives in The Junction.
4:54 PM: According to police radio, Jonette has been found, in the Alki area.
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