West Seattle, Washington
29 Wednesday
7:21 PM: A big emergency response is headed to the 6000 block of High Point Drive for an “assault with weapons” call. We’re headed there to find out more; updates to come.
7:38 PM: Seattle Fire has dispatched a chaplain; indications so far at the scene are that this might be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. SPD described the victim on Twitter as “a teen.”
7:42 PM: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith confirms that, and says the victim did not survive.
8:27 AM THURSDAY: SPD’s Det. Patrick Michaud confirms this morning that police believe the shot was accidentally fired. Final ruling will be up to the Medical Examiner, as always. The victim was a 17-year-old boy.
Car prowls, car prowls, car prowls – that’s what Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith just told the Highland Park Action Committee is that neighborhood’s biggest crime problem – like most other West Seattle neighborhoods: 145 in this area so far this year, compared to 46 in the same period last year. HP’s Westcrest Park is a hot spot, though not as much as Lincoln Park; Lt. Smith hailed the vigilant citizens who have stepped up keeping eyes on the park, and he encouraged people to keep reporting them, even if nothing was taken: “We need to report these crimes,” even if that means a jump in stats because more people are reporting what happens.
Also up this year over last: Robberies, especially along the southernmost boundary of Highland Park (SW Roxbury) – about a fourth of them were “shoplifting (incidents) gone bad.” Residential burglary is happening at about the same rate has last year, and “we’ve arrested one prolific burglar/car prowler recently, so hopefully we’ll see a reduction,” Lt. Smith noted, adding that non-residential burglary is down by more than half.
Still to come at HPAC, in our next report – city reps are here with their draft recommendation for what should be done with the city-owned Myers Way Parcels; we’ll have the details later tonight.
(Photo by Paul Nicholson)
4:48 PM: That big drill we mentioned yesterday, with air and sea action off West Seattle, is ramping up right now. If you missed the advance alert, it would look pretty alarming, given that the intent is “to test and solidify the capabilities of the Regional Maritime Tactical Action Group in response to an active shooter or hostage type event aboard a vessel in the Puget Sound”:
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand from here down, unless otherwise credited)
The King County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Section invited media to go out on the Water Taxi vessel Sally Fox to observe and photograph, and co-publisher Patrick Sand is there for WSB.
5:28 PM: KCSO just tweeted this video of officers boarding the boat via helicopter:
If the ferry line is too long this Memorial Day weekend, try getting on this way pic.twitter.com/1PmfR5iqVM
— KingcosoPIO (@kingcosoPIO) May 26, 2016
Our photo is a different view from below, while that was in the works:
11 PM: The drill was expected to go at least until now, and MarineTraffic.com shows the Sally Fox is still out there. David Hutchinson shares an afternoon view from Jack Block Park:
That’s where media crews went after the briefing at T-5 that started the observation period. T-5 was headquarters for the helicopters, both KCSO’s Guardian One, the same helicopter that shows up to help Seattle Police with searches sometimes:
And a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter:
That agency had a boat, too:
See more photos after the jump:
Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School assistant principal Scott Reisinger for sharing the report and photo:
We are excited to announce that Eun Tae Ki and Richard Nguyen, both seniors at Chief Sealth International High School, have been selected to participate in the 2016 Young Scholars Program at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering at the University of Washington this summer. Eun Tae and Richard were two of nine total students that were chosen from an applicant pool of more than 160. This program will expose these scholars to the cutting-edge field of sensorimotor neural engineering and allow them to participate in ongoing research projects. Eun Tae and Richard will be working with Dr. Rajesh Rao, University of Washington Department of Computer Science & Engineering, to research the brains ability to learn, process, and store information.
Two notes this afternoon from the West Seattle Booster Club, which raises money to help WS High School sports programs, which have many costs not covered by the district. First:
The West Seattle Booster Club would like to congratulate all of the student athletes and wish all of the students competing in state this week the best of luck. It is an exciting week at the high school, with almost 40 athletes competing in the State Championships, including the Girls Softball Team, ten Boys and Girls Track athletes, the Unified Soccer Team, and two Golfers.
While this is great, it is also comes with a large price tag for the school – almost $4,000 for hotels, food, and transportation. The Seattle School District does not provide enough money to the schools to cover even the basic needs for the athletic programs (uniforms, equipment, etc), so there is definitely not enough to cover post season costs.
Our parents and families have been very generous in helping in so many ways, but there is still a large deficit. If you would like to help West Seattle High School Athletics cover the costs, you can make a tax-deductible donation via the West Seattle Booster Club. Every little bit will help these student athletes.
We want to thank the West Seattle community for their continued support of the students and staff at West Seattle High School. Go Wildcats!
And the club has an event coming up one week from tomorrow:
The West Seattle Booster Club invites you to participate in its Spirits for Sports 2016, a fundraising event in the Alaska Junction on Thursday, June 2 from 6-9 pm. All proceeds support the West Seattle High School athletic programs. For more information and to register, go here.
Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark just shared this note sent to families:
Good Afternoon Denny and Sealth Families,
This morning at approximately 10:45 am, a Denny scholar was walking to school. When she was on Kenyon near the school bus zone entrance, the driver of a black Prius asked her to get in the car. She came right in to school and reported it. School staff contacted the Seattle Police Department, who responded very quickly. Scholars have been informed about the description of the car and reminded of safe walking procedures. We will have extra supervision in that area.
Sincerely,
Denny and Chief Sealth Administration
He also asked us to share this message:
Our School Messenger email system sends out email notices automatically to all family email addresses in our system. If any Denny or Sealth family is not receiving the email, please call the school main office. We can confirm that we have your correct and current email address and can tell you if your email system is blocking our email, preventing you from receiving it. Thank you.
P.S. Thanks also to the Denny/Sealth parents who forwarded the top note (moments after the principal sent it out) to make sure we’d received it.
Gunfire and car prowls are West Seattle’s two biggest crime problems right now, police told the WS Block Watch Captains Network last night. And that’s what’s in our Crime Watch roundup this afternoon:
GUNFIRE NEAR LINCOLN PARK: A resident near the bottom of the Thistle stairway just east of Lincoln Park asked us this morning about gunshots overnight. On Tweets by Beat (which you can review any time on our Crime Watch page), the classification was “person with a gun.” We obtained the police-report narrative, which says officers checked out the reported gunfire after multiple 911 calls around quarter past 2, and found eight shell casings in the intersection of 46th SW/SW Thistle [map] – which is at the bottom of the aforementioned stairway. One caller heard a vehicle “speeding away northbound”; another saw “two males running through (a) backyard,” but there were no signs of property damage, and no gunshot victim(s) turned up anywhere. The police report says, “The shell casings were all marked GFL (Giulio Fiocchi) 9mm Luger.”
CAR PROWL NEAR GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY: From Sarah:
Our car, the one my 17-year-old son drives (an old 2000 Volvo station wagon) was broken into last night and two valuable items stolen. They smashed the rear passenger side cargo window.
The items stolen were very special to him. A Gibson Les Paul guitar with a purple paisley strap, and a Fender Twin Reverb Amp (’68 Custom). I’ve attached stock images of the items.
He’s learned a painful and expensive lesson: never leave valuables in the car!
And just as we were about to publish this report with the two items above, this came in:
JUNCTION CAR BREAK-INS: From Stacy:
Just an FYI – When I arrived at LA Fitness yesterday around 5:45 pm, there was a cop investigating the parking lot as at least three car windows were smashed and broken into. He was walking around telling everyone who parked what had just happened but since so many people work out there at different times- wanted to share with you guys to hopefully share with everyone. Remember if there is nothing in your car to steal, they won’t break in (coming from someone who had her car broken into no less than 3 times on the East Coast).
Advice from police modifies that somewhat – make sure it doesn’t even LOOK like something might be in the car (we’ve heard of car prowlers going through grocery bags that might have contained something).
11:51 AM: In case you are heading downtown sometime soon – you should know about a big power outage in the heart of downtown. It’s not even on the Seattle City Light map, but they’re definitely aware of it. SCL attributes it to “equipment failure at Massachusetts Street Substation” and says it might take “a couple hours” to fix. We know lots of West Seattleites work downtown – is this affecting you?
12:07 PM: Someone in comments asked if there are any West Seattle effects; not that we have heard. The substation mentioned by SCL is in SODO (shown on this map). Meantime, they’ve moved up the guesstimate for restoration to 12:40 pm.
12:17 PM: While this mega-outage is NOT shown on the Seattle City Light map, SDOT has come up with one based on the boundaries that have been announced:
All power is lost in the following area. Waterfront to I-5, and Pike to Jackson. Treat all signals as all ways stops pic.twitter.com/79O5KByFmp
— seattledot (@seattledot) May 25, 2016
12:20 PM: We’re listening to officers downtown via scanner, as they assist with traffic control downtown, and they’re saying some intersections have power back – a couple mentioned on 5th – but a few blocks away, they’re still out. Also, Councilmember Kshama Sawant – who chairs the council committee that oversees SCL – tweeted that City Hall (5th/Cherry/4th/James) has power back.
12:26 PM: More restoration – SPD channel indicates lights on 3rd are working.
12:34 PM: SCL has officially declared power back on (while saying they don’t know yet what caused it). West Seattleites in the city’s Municipal Tower and the county’s Chinook Building – not far apart – confirm they’re back on. But downtown will likely have lingering effects throughout the afternoon.
12:48 PM: City Light says it doesn’t know yet how many customers (businesses/homes, in this case apartments/condos) were affected, but “12,000 meters” were in the outage zone.
Seattle Public Utilities says it will be repairing a sewer line along 35th SW between Juneau and Raymond starting next Tuesday (May 31st). The flyer it’s circulating in the area says, “The mainline at this location is damaged and requires replacement. Homes and businesses will continue to receive normal service during the repair.” They expect the work, at five spots on the line (shown above), to take about two weeks, with crews there 7 am-4 pm weekdays. While service will continue, there will be mobility effects, including parking restrictions, limited access to driveways during construction work hours, and the closure of “the center two lanes of 35th SW” while the work is under way.
Today’s spotlight photo is courtesy of Don Brubeck, who explains, “Bike riders were detouring around some heavy traffic at Terminal 18 (Tuesday) afternoon. Did not hear any honking.” Whether you’re going by bike, bus, car, feet … or wings! … here are half a dozen highlights for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ENTREPRENEUR MEETUP: Got your own business, or working on an idea for one? Join today’s Entrepreneur Meetup, noon-1:15 pm, at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor). Just drop in, and bring your lunch if you want to. (6040 California SW)
VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY TEA TIME: 1-3 pm at Greenbridge Community Center. Host Tram Chung says, “Please come to meet with friends, exchange information, storytelling, entertainment, singing, and planning for the future meetings. We can help with language support (translation/interpreter) or settle the bills such as electricity, water, cable TV, internet.” (9800 8th SW)
IRISH SET DANCING: 6:30 pm instruction, 7 pm dancing, no partner necessary, all explained here! Happening at Kenyon Hall. (7904 35th SW)
COMMUNITY WELLNESS AND PREVENTION INITIATIVE COALITION: 7 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, be part of the first meeting of this new coalition meant to help prevent youth substance abuse, as explained in our calendar listing. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, with the agenda including a discussion of what’s next in the process of determining the Myers Way Parcels’ future (recent WSB coverage here and here), and info on what the Department of Neighborhoods is all about. (12th SW/SW Holden)
POEMS AND STORIES: 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), the monthly Poetrybridge event features readings by Georgie Bright Kunkel and Cheryl Latif, as well as a community microphone. (5612 California SW)
During our periodic check of court files in cases we’re following, we just found out that a West Seattleite arrested and charged with murder in a shooting death near Sea-Tac has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. We reported in December on the arrest of 39-year-old Aaron Parypa at his Junction-area home; he was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault for a deadly shooting in October that prosecutors said was preceded by an attempted marijuana sale. According to court documents, Parypa, who had no previous criminal history, pleaded guilty last Friday to the reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter. In a written statement accompanying his plea, he wrote, “Although I do not believe I am guilty of manslaughter because I acted in self-defense, I want to plead guilty to the charge to take advantage of the reduction of the charge and the prosecutor’s recommendation.” The same document lists the standard sentencing range as 21 to 27 months.
In case you haven’t yet seen them in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, two Memorial Day notes:
(2015 WSB photo)
JUNCTION FLAG HELP: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2713 welcomes community assistance in putting up and taking down the West Seattle Junction’s U.S. flags on Monday. Meet at California/Alaska, in front of Cupcake Royale, at 8:50 am for flag placement, 4:50 pm for flag removal.
FOREST LAWN CEREMONY: At 2 pm on Monday, American Legion Post 160 and community partners will present the traditional annual Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor) in High Point (map); all welcome.
(2014 WSB photo)
Right afterward, you’re invited to a 3:30 pm reception at Post 160 HQ in The Triangle (3618 SW Alaska).
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:33 AM: Good morning! Two reminders for your Wednesday:
FILMING ON THE VIADUCT: Two more days – today and tomorrow – of scheduled filming resulting in “rolling slowdowns” on the Alaskan Way Viaduct between 9 am and 3 pm.
BRIDGE CLOSURE TONIGHT: The second week of the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion-re-replacement work continues, with the west end of the bridge scheduled for closure 9 pm-5 am again tonight.
8:10 AM: Yes, we’ve been watching and listening; things are still quiet! Reminder that if you see something potentially of note for your fellow commuters – tips are appreciated – IF you are a passenger; otherwise, once you get to your destination. Text or call us 24/7 at 206-293-6302.
1:57 PM: Two Memorial Day notes have come in since the morning commute:
-NO bridge closures Sunday or Monday nights because of the holiday.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi will run on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day (Monday).
Tonight’s monthly meeting of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network was low-key – more like a small-group conversation with police, and each other. Three updates of note:
GUNFIRE INCIDENTS: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis reiterated that this is a big emphasis here right now. In terms of investigating, the focus is on data mining – he said the crime lab is examining fingerprints on recovered shells, and detectives are looking at the patterns. When that kind of information can be pulled together, gun use can be traced to certain offenders and certain incidents. In many cases, he said, those responsible can usually be tied to other activity such as gangs, drugs, or burglary rings, so they’re working with others around the city to try to ID who’s responsible.
CAR PROWLS: This too remains an emphasis, as mentioned at other recent meetings. One hotspot, Westcrest Park, now has warning signs about not leaving things in vehicles, an attendee mentioned.
RV CAMPERS: While the plan for a “safe lot” in West Seattle has long since been scrapped by the mayor’s office, as reported here, Capt. Davis said the precinct’s Community Police Team continues to monitor and deal with the RVs on West Seattle streets, including the group along Myers Way. Citywide, the trend is toward dispersal rather than clustering, he said, adding that West Seattle does not seem to be drawing a disproportionate number as the RVs scatter.
The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets fourth Tuesdays most months, 6:30 pm at the SW Precinct – watch wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com for updates between meetings.
9:14 PM: A full house-fire response is headed for the 2600 block of SW Holden. First units to arrive are seeing “light smoke.” More to come.
9:19 PM: The response is being reduced – it’s a kitchen fire, announced as “food on the stove.”
While the school-funding shortage means PTA/PTSA fundraisers are not unusual, this one is: The Schmitz Park Elementary PTA is hosting the first Fox Hole Classic Golf Tournament – which, president Robert Kelly says, its purpose is “to provide financial grants for other West Seattle school PTA’s. This is an opportunity to help make the entire community the best place for our children to succeed as students and citizens.” Here’s the scoop on the tournament:
Join us at West Seattle Golf Course on Friday, June 10, 2016
2:30 pm Shotgun Start (1:15 Check-in)There will be prizes for: Hole-In-One * Jackpot Hole * Tee & Door Prizes KP’s * Longest Drives * Putting Contest
Registration open now. Cost: $125 per golfer.
Early Bird Foursome Special: $400
Limit 144 total golfers. Deadline June 3rd.Register and Pay Online or submit the attached form (PDF) with check.
Questions, please contact Robert Kelly: president@schmitzparkpta.org
Kelly says this is open to the public and they’re also seeking sponsors, via hole sponsorship, a one-time monetary donation, prize donations. As he notes, “Each year, school PTA’s help close the funding gaps by providing important resources that help our children learn and achieve every single day.”
(WSB photo from last week, by Christopher Boffoli)
Reminder if you’ll be heading eastbound/northbound in the late morning/early afternoon on either or both of the next two days – more “rolling slowdowns” are ahead on the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct, as the movie crew (widely identified as from the “Fifty Shades” sequel) returns. That’s according to this SDOT alert featuring traffic-affecting events scheduled in the city for the next several days.
(WSB photos)
The Rotary Club of West Seattle drew about 200 people to its annual fundraising breakfast this morning at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). This year’s keynote speaker is well-known to weather-watchers in particular: Cliff Mass, described on the program as “University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and renowned Seattle weather prognosticator/personality.” We photographed him with incoming West Seattle Rotary president Dr. Susanne Gee:
Mass has often said he’s not a forecaster, but more of an analyst. And as those at today’s event heard, he’s outspoken on a variety of related topics, including no love lost for some news media’s tendency to engage in hyperbole related to weather events. He also talked about what he sees for the Pacific Northwest in terms of climate change – including more rain, less snow, between now and 2050, but no “dramatic” increase in temperature until later this century. You can find him online here.
P.S. Today’s fundraising will benefit Rotary projects including the Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree and Pencil Me In For Kids.
2:14 PM: Police say they arrested three people at Westwood Village last night in connection with a bicycle stolen downtown and listed for sale online. Here’s what Jonah Spangenthal-Lee posted on SPD Blotter this afternoon:
Officers arrested a trio of suspects at a West Seattle shopping center Monday after they tried to sell police a pricey bike stolen days earlier from REI’s flagship store.
On May 21st, a masked suspect made their way into a fenced, gated area at REI’s flagship store in the 200 block of Yale Avenue and made off with a $2,700 black and neon green Ghost Kato bike.
A few days later, REI staff found an ad for a Ghost Kato bike on Craigslist. The ad listed the bike at $1,500, describing it as “brand new” and “ready to be picked up.” “Serious inquiries only!!!,” the seller wrote.
REI staff sent the ad to police, and Southwest Precinct Anti-Crime Team Officer Ernie Debella got in touch with the seller and set up a Monday night meeting.
Around 6 PM, police were waiting at the Westwood Village shopping center when the suspects – a 29-year-old woman and two men, 28 and 40 years old – arrived in a cab. The trio pulled the bike out of the cab’s trunk and began scouring the lot, as if they were looking for police.
Officers contacted the group, confirmed the bike was the same one stolen days earlier, and booked the men and woman into the King County Jail for trafficking stolen property.
We’re checking to see if we can find out more about the suspects’ status.
ADDED 4 PM: According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the three were released from today’s bail-hearing calendar – the 28-year-old man is getting out of jail, but the other two suspects are still being held on unrelated warrants, the 40-year-old man for failure to appear in a theft case – a $10,000 warrant – and the 29-year-old woman, for a $2,500 warrant related to failing to appear in a “false reporting” case.
12:14 PM: Several parents have e-mailed to ask why Denny International Middle School is in shelter-in-place mode. We first checked with Seattle Police, and were told there is NOT an emergency situation, though police are on “directed patrol” at the campus. We’re now at the school and should know more shortly – will update when we do.
12:17 PM: Patrol officers are at the school on bicycles as well as in cars, and the Southwest Precinct’s Mobile Precinct van is too.
We expect to talk to police soon but in the meantime, school security tells us that this is the result of “a rumor on social media.”
12:28 PM: Just talked with Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis. He confirms this relates to a threat posted on social media but says they have spent some time investigating this and confirming it does not appear to be a credible threat. According to Capt. Davis, the student account where this threat appeared had been “hacked into” – they verified that it was not posted by the account owner. Meantime, one parent tells us Chief Sealth next door also is sheltering in place – we haven’t confirmed that yet, but since the two schools are adjacent, that wouldn’t seem unlikely.
ADDED 1:21 PM: Denny principal Jeff Clark has shared the message sent to families of Denny and Sealth students:
Dear Denny and Sealth Families,
This morning a few scholars shared information with school staff about some social media messaging that included mention of a potential weapon being brought to school. We immediately began consultation with the Seattle Police Department. As an extra precaution, as the credibility and details were investigated, we began a shelter-in-place, which means we lock the exterior doors and keep school operating normally inside the building. After investigating, the Seattle Police Department has determined that the messaging came from a fraudulent Facebook account.
Simply as an extra precaution, SPD suggested that we keep the shelter-in-place status until the near the end of the school day at 2:15, which we will do. We have been cleared to have normal dismissal from school and have our scholars go home as they do normally. We will continue to have afterschool activities.
We would like to thank our scholars for sharing this information with us right away. Additionally, we would like to thank our partners at the Seattle Police Department who responded right away with an extra presence at school and in the community and for helping us to determine that the situation was safe. As always, safety is our top priority. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Denny and Sealth Administration
(WSB photo from November 2015, helicopters at Terminal 5 during drill)
If you see unusual helicopter and vessel activity off northeast West Seattle, and further into the bay, tomorrow afternoon/evening (Wednesday, May 25th) – it’s likely to be related to a drill. Here’s the King County Sheriff’s Office announcement:
The King County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Section is hosting a multi-agency training drill Wednesday afternoon in Puget Sound between Harbor Island and Discovery Park. Drill participants will include the Seattle Police Department, Washington State Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, F.B.I., U.S. Customs and Border Protections and King County Medic One.
This drill will test and solidify the capabilities of the Regional Maritime Tactical Action Group in response to an active shooter or hostage type event aboard a vessel in the Puget Sound. As the only agency in the Puget Sound with both air and water assets capable of delivering law enforcement to an underway ferry, cruise ship or pleasure craft, this training is critical for the King County Sheriffs Office to be prepared to protect our citizens.
Numerous law enforcement boats will be involved in the exercise, along with a King County Water Taxi boat. The main landing zone for the King County Sheriff’s helicopter will be Terminal 5. During the exercise there will be NO public access to the pier.
Terminal 5 itself isn’t a public-access area anyway so we’re checking to see if neighboring Jack Block Park will be affected.
(WSB photo)
10:45 AM: A little more than one week before the groundbreaking celebration for the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) expansion, early work related to the project is under way: It’s demolition day for the old Youth Programs building. The Y will stay open throughout the project; construction updates are being posted here, including more about today’s teardown and the building’s history as well as construction-related recycling. The groundbreaking celebration, meantime, is set for 4:30 pm Thursday, June 2nd.
ADDED 3:32 PM: Thanks to the Y for this photo from later in the day:
Game-show alert: Contestants on “Wheel of Fortune” tonight (7 pm, Channel 4) include a West Seattle resident, Peter Murray. Peter’s spouse Kelly Murray sent the photo and tells WSB: “This is his second game show appearance; he was on ‘Jeopardy’ in April 2009! He’s had a long career in non-profit work (United Way of King County, JDRF, now Red Cross), but his training as an actor and his love of the New York Times crossword puzzle make him a pretty great game-show contestant.” So, how’d he do? No spoilers here; you’ll just have to watch.
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