West Seattle, Washington
31 Thursday
5:16 PM: Police and fire are at the scene of a shooting reported aboard a Metro bus that’s at 15th and Roxbury. The victim is reported to be a man about 30 years old “unconscious, unresponsive, with two gunshot wounds.” Police have broadcast an initial description of two suspects, both male, one Hispanic, with long hair, in a gray sweater, the other Black or Hispanic, “puffy” hair, white sweatshirt, both running northeast. The scene is described as on 15th just south of Roxbury. Traffic is being blocked on southbound 15th.
(Added: WSB photos)
5:22 PM: Dispatch has been told the victim is dead. The bus has been described as being stopped on the King County Sheriff’s Office side of Roxbury, but SPD responded initially.
5:39 PM: Investigators now say there was only one shooter. KCSO is searching with a K-9 team. If you’re seeing a helicopter, that’s the shared TV chopper, NOT law enforcement.
5:59 PM: Now Guardian One is over the scene too.
7:32 PM: No new information aside from KCSO confirming the victim’s death. Commenters who were on other buses at the time say their drivers were told the victim was NOT the driver. (The bus was H Line.)
10:12 PM: KCSO has since issued an official news release, though they still aren’t saying anything we haven’t already reported. For the record, here is the news release in its entirety:
This evening (October 3rd) at approximately 5:10 pm, deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to the vicinity of SW Roxbury ST and 15th Ave SW for reports of a shooting that occurred on a Metro bus. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a single victim, who was unfortunately pronounced deceased at the scene.
Multiple specialized units, including Guardian 1 aerial support and a K9 Unit, responded to conduct a thorough search for the individuals involved. As of this moment, the search operation has concluded, and the suspect(s) in question remain at large.
The King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit will be investigating.
11:20 PM: 15th has reopened, per a Metro advisory.
ADDED OCTOBER 10TH: The victim was identified today by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as Marcell D. Wagner, 21. Cause of death “multiple gunshot wounds.”
2:26 PM: SPD and SFD are responding to a reported “rollover” blocking one southbound lane of the Admiral Way hill (north of the West Seattle Bridge). The driver is reported to have gotten out of the car so it’s just a one-engine response.
2:48 PM: Photo added. We just drove by the scene, which is not in a safe spot to pull over and ask questions. Only the outside downhill lane is blocked.
3:10 PM: They’re still waiting for the tow truck. Once it arrives, clearing the scene may temporarily block more than just the outside lane.
4:07 PM: SFD tells us that the “approximately 24-year-old male driver was evaluated and treated at the scene and did not want to go to the hospital for further care.”
1:12 PM: This morning we mentioned paving work on SW Genesee between 26th and 30th SW. Now there’s a gas leak in the area and the street will be closed until it’s handled – SFD and SPD are headed that way.
1:15 PM: Firefighters have told dispatch it’s a “4-inch main behind a piece of heavy equipment.” They’re having residents in the immediate vicinity “shelter in place” with windows closed. They say the wind “appears to be blowing away” from the residences and are awaiting Puget Sound Energy (which provides gas service in our area).
2:10 PM: SFD reports that PSE has a “temporary shutdown” on the line but is still working to secure it further.
2:18 PM: SFD is affirming that the nearby residents are now safe and they’re reducing their response.
2:38 PM: All SFD units have now cleared. We haven’t heard whether traffic is resuming through the area, though – even before this, it was down to single-lane-with-flagger because of the paving work.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from the garage at the condo building Point Nautica. The texter says the flooding is due to a water break. Seattle Fire has been there (1005 Harbor SW) on a call categorized as a “major water job” for more than an hour.
6:06 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “water-rescue response” to the 3500 block of Beach Drive SW for what’s reported as possible sailboat trouble – a person reportedly outside their 12-to-14-foot sailboat trying to get back into it a few hundred yards offshore. SFD and SPD are responding by land and sea.
(Added: WSB photo)
6:10 PM: Some land responders are heading to the Fauntleroy ferry dock in case someone is rescued and needs to be brought to shore.
6:13 PM: Rescuers say they are seeing a person clinging to the side of a sailboat about 500 yards offshore – the boat is upright but the person’s still not in it.
6:16 PM: SFD has rescued the person from the water, and they’re arranging for a separate crew to deal with the boat.
Thanks for the texts about the sizable SFD response in the 5600 block of 42nd SW (we were in an unrelated interview at the time). We’ve just gotten to the scene, where we’re told that someone was doing tree work in a yard when he suffered a “medical episode” requiring SFD to safely bring him down. He was taken to a hospital.
8:22 PM: A sizable Seattle Fire response is headed by land and sea to a report of a sailboat possibly in trouble off the 10400 block of Maplewood Place SW [map], north of The Arroyos. Updates to come.
8:33 PM: Responders are looking for the sailboat, described as under 20 feet, blue hull, one person on board.
8:40 PM: They’re not finding any signs of someone in trouble, so they’re ending the search.
(Reader photo)
5:50 PM: Another emergency response – this time in the 1300 block of Alki Avenue [vicinity map] – a two-car collision reportedly has one vehicle in the water, one up on the sidewalk. Updates to come.
(Added: Reader photo sent by Reiner)
5:57 PM: One person from the car that went into the water is reported to be undergoing CPR. One other injured person from the crash is reported to have a broken leg. Please avoid the area – emergency responders are trying their best to block off the road while also focusing on the injured people.
(Reader photo sent by Reiner)
6:04 PM: One trapped person has been extricated from the car that crashed on land. SFD says that person will be taken to a hospital. Divers are checking the car in the water to see if anyone remains inside:
(Reader photo sent by Reiner)
6:08 PM: So far there are two patients – one from the car on land, one from the submerged car.
(Reader photo sent by Reiner)
6:17 PM: SFD crews have just told dispatch no one remains inside the submerged car, but divers still have to check around it. History as discussed in comments: A driver went into the water in May 2009 (WSB coverage here) and survived; three years before that, a driver went into the water in the 1200 block of Alki and two men died (September 2006). … Back to the current situation: Crews in the water say they haven’t found anyone else in the water, so all divers and rescue swimmers are out of the water. SFD is sending a public-information officer to the scene.
(WSB photo)
6:35 PM: Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are being called out, according to emergency-radio communication, so the scene may be blocked for a while, no official estimate yet. Above is our photo of police and fire boats near the submerged car. There is also some radio communication about utility damage.
6:57 PM: SFD says the person in the submerged car was pulled out by bystanders and was in critical condition when taken to the hospital. … Below, another view of the car that crashed on land, roof removed because that’s what SFD had to do to get the driver – who is in stable condition – out:
(Reader photo sent by Steve)
As for the car in the water, it’s high tide as of moments ago, and the next low tide is only a few feet lower – the next minus tide isn’t till tomorrow morning.
7:42 PM: SPD spokesperson Det. Judinna Gulpan just spoke with us and other media at the scene. Few additional details – the driver rescued from the water is female, the one cut out of a car on land is male. The process of retrieving the car from the water won’t even start until the TCIS detectives complete their work at the scene.
8:14 PM: Just watched our video of Det. Gulpan’s briefing. She also said that, as a commenter below had reported, they believe the male driver hit the female driver, head-on, at high speed, and the impact pushed her car into the water. She would not confirm whether the male driver is under investigation for possible DUI. (Update: Here’s our video:)
8:37 PM: A texter says they just pulled the car out. Here’s the photo they sent:
9:34 PM: Police are reopening Alki Avenue both ways.
9:58 PM: Harborview says the driver rescued from the water remains listed in critical condition.
MONDAY NOTE: We are following up on various aspects of and questions raised by this incident and hope to have a separate followup this evening. In the meantime, for the record (per SFD), the woman rescued from the water is 24, the driver who hit her car is 23. We don’t have his name (yet) so we are currently unable to verify his status.
MONDAY NIGHT: Our followup has to wait until tomorrow as we have a variety of questions still awaiting answers. Meantime, a friend of the rescued woman has let us know in comments and via email that crowdfunding is now set up for her and her family.
5:12 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a water-rescue response to the 4000 block of Beach Drive. We’re detouring that way, having just left Summer Fest, to find out what’s happening.
5:14 PM: Whoever was reported as being in trouble “is declining all assistance,” so all but one responding unit is being canceled.
5:17 PM: That last unit, Engine 29, reports that the paddler is “on their way in and is A-OK,” so they’re completely closing out the response.
3:24 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a water-rescue response to the 11400 block of Arroyo Beach Place for a report of a capsized boat.
3:27 PM: SFD says no one was in distress after all, so they’re reducing the response.
Heard a lot of sirens in the past 15 minutes or so? So did we. It was a four-unit SFD response to Cal-Mor Circle (the cylindrical apartment building at 6420 California SW) after someone reported an “explosion” and seeing “a window blown out.” So far, crews are telling dispatch that it appears to have been “somebody setting off fireworks on the roof.”
11:28 AM: Thanks to Kay for the tip. SFD is at Highland Park Way/Austin/Holden for a natural-gas leak response; avoid the area.
11:55 AM: Highland Park Way hill is closed because of this. Neighbors remind you to please slow down when detouring through neighborhoods.
12:04 PM: We’ve arrived in the area to try to find out more. Heading eastbound on Holden, it’s closed at 11th. Also, note that Metro Route 131 is rerouted because of the closures.
12:16 PM: SFD tells us a 2″ gas line was punctured by a construction crew. City Light is also in the area because they decided to take down the power as a precaution until the leak can be stopped. Meantime, approaching the area northbound, 9th is blocked at Kenyon.
12:39 PM: SFD has closed out the call and buses have resumed their regular routing, indicating roads have reopened (we’re headed back to check).
12:45 PM: Confirmed – all back open.
4 PM: We asked SDOT if the crew was theirs or a contractor’s, since they’ve been working in the area. Here’s the response from spokesperson Ethan Bergerson:
Workers for KC Equipment punctured a gas line this morning at 10:45 am. KC Equipment is a private construction firm on contract with SDOT to build a new traffic signal at SW Holden St and Highland Park Way SW. KC Equipment immediately reported the incident to Puget Sound Energy.
Puget Sound Energy crews arrived on site and confirmed that they had patched the line and that the area was safe shortly after noon. Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle City Light were all also on-site to assist with ensuring public safety.
He adds that no injuries were reported.
(Added – reader photo by Jenny F)
12:37 PM: Thanks for the tip. Emergency responders are at the scene of a crash at 8th/Roxbury. The tipster says a car is “flipped over,” but it’s only a single-engine SFD response, not a “rescue extrication.” Avoid the area for a while.
1:40 PM: Metro says the bus routes are back to normal, indicating the scene is cleared.
4:19 PM: We asked SFD about injuries: One woman around 60 years old was treated at the scene but declined to be taken to a hospital.
ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Jenny F for posting a photo in comments – we’ve added it above as well, for the record.
10:50 AM: For those who’ve passed this in the last 15 minutes or so and wondered: Police responded to a report of a person walking on the West Seattle Bridge near the Delridge offramp. That happens more often than you might expect. When officers reached the person, the person was reportedly combative, so officers called for backup. The situation is reported to be under control now but is (or was) briefly blocking one or two westbound lanes.
10:55 AM: SFD medics have been called; we don’t know yet whether for the detained person, police, or both.
4:19 PM: SFD tells us the person was a woman around 30 years old and: “She was transported to Harborview for further care. Reported as suspected drug use.”
(Added: Photo sent by John)
9:06 AM: Seattle Fire and Police are responding to 14th/Holden for a report of a flipped-car crash. Updates to come.
9:09 AM: Arriving crews say this is a “small sedan on its side at the top of a stairwell” closer to SW Kenyon. One person is reported to be in the vehicle and firefighters say they do not appear to be seriously hurt.
9:14 AM: The response is being downsized.
3:39 PM: Seattle Police say 16th SW is blocked both ways near Cloverdale because of a crash response. A motorcycle and car are reported to be involved. No further details yet; avoid the area.
4:49 PM: SFD has closed out the response. We’re checking on the rider’s condition and whether anyone else was treated.
5:24 PM: SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells WSB that the 48-year-old woman riding the motorcycle was in stable condition when taken to Harborview.
9:22 AM: If you noticed emergency-response activity beneath the 1st Avenue South Bridge this morning, it’s related to what Seattle Police say is now a “death investigation.” It started as a Seattle Fire water-rescue response before 7 am; SFD eventually tweeted that they were looking for a missing bridge operator, and then reported that the Coast Guard later found a body that matched the missing person’s description. We’ll be following up with agencies including WSDOT, which owns the bridge as it’s part of a state highway, and will add any more information that emerges.
9:56 AM: According to archived audio from the initial response, the operator was last seen arriving at work at 10 pm last night and discovered missing when the next person arrived at 5:30 and found the workspace empty but the person’s belongings all still there. They looked extensively around the area before calling in authorities an hour-plus later.
Thanks for the photo. The driver of that vehicle crashed through a wall in the 5700 block of Admiral Way just before 5 pm, leading to what was initially a “rescue extrication” response, quickly downsized. No serious injuries reported.
3:55 PM: SFD has sent several units to the 1600 block of Harbor Avenue SW for an initial report of smoke seen from an upper story of a building. Arriving firefighters are checking out whether it might just have been a barbecue.
3:59 PM: They’re canceling most of the response.
4:05 PM: They’ve confirmed it was a barbecue and are closing the rest of the response.
The photos are from Bill, one of several people who have emailed us in the past few days to report that tragedy has befallen a rogue West Seattle art installation – the trailside tribute to Rolf Neslund, “patron saint of the broken bridge,” placed and announced in September 2020, half a year into the West Seattle Bridge’s closure. The sculpture and its pedestal have gone sideways.
(Tipsters’ assessment is that it fell because its wooden pedestal rotted, not because of vandalism.) If you’re new around here, Neslund was blamed for the 1978 ship collision that forced the old West Seattle Bridge to be replaced. He subsequently retired and was murdered by his wife in 1980. HistoryLink summarizes the strange story. Anyway, the sculpture was nothing official – it was announced by a mysterious person claiming to be ‘Lars Fujikawa of the Delridge Maritime Historical Society.” The first installation was stolen barely a week after its placement; the replacement was installed by “Lars” (and friends?) about a month later. So the question arises now, in pixels rather than a Bat-signal in the sky – “Lars,” where are you? Can you make Rolf an upstanding sculpture again? (We emailed the account from which the sculpture news arrived in 2020, but no acknowledgment so far.) Or – anyone else able to ride, sail, etc., to the rescue?
SUNDAY UPDATE: Rose, the first person who sounded the alarm about this, has taken Rolf and plaque into protective custody. If “Lars” – or anyone else interested in helping – sees this, email us and we’ll connect you.
5:16 PM: Seattle Fire has a water-rescue response headed by land and sea for a kayaker reported in trouble off 5200 block of Beach Drive.
5:19 PM: And the kayaker is reported to have made it to shore. … so they’re canceling the response.
Thanks for the tips, and to Erin for the top photo. The front of the AT&T store at Jefferson Square is smashed in – but this was NOT a burglary, it was a crash. The car is still in the store:
(WSB photo)
No injuries. One witness says it was apparently a case of gas pedal/brake pedal confusion but we were unable to confirm that with police.
3:32 PM: If you are headed toward the West Seattle low bridge or Harbor Island, note that westbound Spokane Street is reported to be blocked at East Marginal Way right now for an emergency response. A bicyclist is reported to have been “sideswiped” by a semi-truck driver. Medics have told dispatch that the rider is “alert and conscious.”
3:51 PM: SDOT traffic control says the scene has cleared. We’ll follow up with SFD on the rider’s condition.
6:22 PM: SFD’s response to our inquiry: “Crews treated a 37-year-old male who is in stable condition. Paramedics transported him to Harborview. Reported as a bicyclist collision into a moving semi-truck towing a trailer.”
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