West Seattle, Washington
08 Monday
That’s a video file just provided by the King County Sheriff’s Office (we uploaded it to YouTube for playback), which detectives hope might help solve yesterday morning’s shooting death of 23-year-old Sweetheart Failautusi. KCSO spokesperson Deputy Travis DeFries explains the video as follows:
There are still 3 suspects at-large and all are described as being black males in their early-to-mid 20’s.
Video surveillance footage from nearby businesses has been reviewed by detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit. All three suspects are captured on video and we are now asking for the public’s help in identifying them. Portions of the video have been blurred out to protect the identities of the witnesses and victim.
As it says at the start and finish of the clip – call 911 if you have any information about the suspects. (Meantime, memorials for the victim continue growing, both online and at the scene.)
(Photo by WSB/White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz)
Another update on this morning’s deadly shooting at 15th/Roxbury in White Center: The 23-year-old victim is from High Point, according to a woman who told WSB/WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz that she’s her cousin. She says the victim’s name is “Sweetheart“; no formal identification is expected any sooner than mid-afternoon. More details on White Center Now. Still no word of arrests; the latest on the investigation is in our morning report.
3:38 AM: A 22-year-old woman is dead and a block of 15th SW is closed off just south of Roxbury (map) after a shooting in White Center early this morning. So far, no arrests, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the case. We have ongoing coverage on partner site White Center Now.
8:38 AM: Still no arrest(s) reported; we expect a more formal update from KCSO later this morning. 15th SW has reopened, though.
11:39 AM UPDATE: Official news release in from Deputy DeFries, who briefed us and TV crews at the scene early today – note that it changes the victim’s age:
A 23-year-old female is dead and detectives are working leads in a shooting incident that occurred overnight in the White Center area of King County.
This morning, at about 12:20 AM, deputies were called to the area of SW Roxbury St. and 15th Ave. SW by a passing witness for a fight disturbance. When deputies arrived they met with a small group of females, including the now-deceased victim of the shooting. Deputies were told that the disturbance was minor and that the other group, which consisted of 3 black males, had left the area. The group of women declined to speak further about the incident.
Deputies stayed in the general area and began to walk on foot to increase their visibility and to try to prevent further violence from erupting. Just before 1:00 AM these deputies heard several gun shots coming from the area of the original disturbance. When the returned they found the victim lying in the middle of 15th Ave. SW with at least one gunshot wound. Witnesses said that at least 2 of the original 3 black males had returned and one then fired on the victim. The suspects then fled the scene on foot.
At this point, no suspects are in custody and no weapon has been recovered. Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit are investigating. We have not been able to rule out if this was gang-related or not. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit will be assisting, as needed.
2:08 PM: We’ve just published a new update, with what a relative has told us about the victim.
10:27 PM: Police are at the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream shop on Admiral Way, where an armed robbery was reported. Nobody hurt. No description(s) so far. We have a crew there; more as we get it.
11:30 PM: Officers have been talking with employees and checking for prints; they told us they’re still “sorting out” what happened. WSB contributor Katie Meyer says the original scanner call mentioned three suspects.
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: We have just spoken with SPD and will put details in a separate update – bottom line, no one arrested so far.
Two updates for the court files (speaking of which, if you are following the Steve Bushaw murder trial, it’s in recess till Wednesday):
(June 28th photo courtesy Kathryn)
GATEWOOD ARSON: September 7th is now set as the trial date for 40-year-old John C. Siegel, arrested at the scene of the June 28th arson at a home he co-owned near Orchard Street Ravine and charged days later with setting it as an act of domestic violence, as well as with violating a court order. Court documents indicate that Siegel, who is a lawyer, is now representing himself in the case (though he has requested “standby backup counsel”). He’s due in court this Friday morning for a hearing to determine if everyone involved is indeed ready to go to trial. Siegel also has filed a handwritten motion seeking a separate jury proceeding on the “aggravating factor” that is alleged in the crime – that he committed it shortly after being released from jail (as reported here previously, he got out May 20th after a plea bargain on charges involving domestic violence and threatening a judge). Siegel contends that having the “rapid recidivism” aspect brought up in the main case would be prejudicial to that jury; prosecutors have responded that they believe the issue should be “reserved for the trial court” to decide. Siegel remains in jail, in lieu of $1 million bail.
Another case we’ve been following is now closed – plea made, time served:
(June 17th photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
JUNCTION THREAT: 20-year-old Chriss Arce, arrested on June 17th for an incident that started in West Seattle Computers in The Junction and ended with him allegedly pulling a gun on the store’s owner, was sentenced last Friday, after a plea bargain in July. Arce was originally charged with assault; according to court records, he pleaded guilty July 20th to a reduced charge of harassment. The sentence ordered by Judge Patrick Oishi on Friday: 34 days in jail, which is equal to the time he served between his June arrest and being released on July 22nd.
Hope your vehicle never gets stolen. If it does, we’re happy to help get the word out to folks to be on the lookout (of course, report it to police first!). Samantha says her car was taken from the 8800 block of 24th SW, near Westwood Village, late last night/early this morning:
It’s a gray 4-door Toyota Camry hybrid, 2007, with WA license plate 725VOA. Identifying marks: There’s an obvious, medium-sized dent in the rear bumper on the driver’s side. There’s also a scratch near the bottom of the back passenger side window that’s a few inches long. There was a brown Britax car seat in the back seat, but that’s probably gone by now.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*A Genesee citizen heard sirens and then saw a man climb a tree in a nearby yard. Concerned that he might be trying to elude officers, she called 911. Though it turned out that the sirens were associated with a fire a mile away, the officers were still happy to collect the man from the tree and book him into King County Jail on a $20,000 felony burglary warrant.
*On Wednesday afternoon, an officer was approached by an intoxicated man walking with an open container in the 2500 block of Walnut SW. For safety purposes, the officer confiscated several weapons from him, including a folding knife with a longer-than-legal blade, a straight razor, and small black stun gun. He was also carrying a variety of tools commonly used in car prowls but told the officer he had been using them in a carpentry job. After being transported to the precinct, a check of his backpack showed additional hand tools, flashlights, a lock pick, dark clothing, and a toy smoke grenade. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of weapons possession.
Seven more summaries ahead:Read More
Just out of the inbox from Nick, who says this happened less than two hours ago, about 10:30 pm:
Hey, just wanted to let people know that I was jogging Friday night in Seaview on 48th Ave SW between SW Findlay St & SW Brandon St [map] when I got hit about 20 times by some punks with what I’m pretty sure were fully automatic pellet guns. Luckily I was wearing long shorts and a baggy sweatshirt so I only got hit 3 times on my body, but they left some decent-sized marks, including a raised welt on my wrist. Didn’t get the plates at the time as I didn’t think of it until about 15 seconds after they were gone, but it was an average-sized sedan with either a black or dark colored paint job. Multiple people inside, they were heading north. I believe this is similar to a story I read on here not too long ago if I’m not mistaken. I reported it when I got home. Let’s get these cowards off our streets, people. They can really hurt you if you were to get hit in the eye or something.
Nick may be referring to this Crime Watch roundup, which included a report of pellets/BBs fired at a West Seattle home.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon: First, a WSB Forums post with details on stolen fishing gear, taken from someone who came here to join the big fishing rush at Lincoln Park – the friend who reported it hopes you might spot it on Craigslist or at a pawn shop and report it to police. Read the post here. Ahead, three reports including a burglary whose victim thought the culprit might have used a sledgehammer:Read More
By Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
In King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque‘s courtroom, the trial of 2 men charged in the February 2009 murder of Steve Bushaw is on break until next Wednesday. Two witnesses testified Thursday morning before the jury was dismissed till then.
Once defendants Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney were brought in and seated at the defense table with their attorneys, the jurors filed in – after the bailiff’s “all rise” command, giving the jury the same sign of respect as the judge – and took their seats. Then the first witness of the day took the stand: Assistant county medical examiner Pamela Ulmer, who was working at the King County Medical Examiner’s office during the time Steve Bushaw was murdered.
With his first questions, prosecutor Jeff Baird established her training and qualification, which included her degree in chemistry, a medical degree, having completed a pathology residency program and additional certification in forensic pathology. Ulmer said that the mandate of a medical examiner is to examine or look for the cause of death if it’s not “an attended natural death.” An autopsy entails looking at the cause of death – “was it a disease, accident, injury,” facilitating the categorization of different causes into a specific cause. This enables the medical examiner to specify which of the five classified manners of death a case should be ruled as: natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined.
Katie Meyer at the King County Courthouse comes word that the Steve Bushaw murder trial is recess till next Wednesday. As noted at the end of our report on the Wednesday proceedings, Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque already had agreed to a defense lawyer’s request to end early today, – but due to witness availability, “early” moved back a few hours, and that meant at lunchtime, they were done, since the trial’s not in session on Fridays, and was already off the calendar for next Monday and Tuesday. A King County Medical Examiner staffer was on the stand this morning; we’ll have details in a full report from Katie later. WSB is the only news organization covering what is the first West Seattle murder case to go to trial in three years (it’s also a rare multiple-defendant trial); our coverage is archived, newest to oldest, here.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It was an educational day at the Steve Bushaw murder trial on Wednesday, as testimony took a turn for the technical.
As prosecutor Jeff Baird continued to call witnesses in his case against Brandon Chaney and Bryce Huber, accused in the February 2009 West Seattle murder to which two others already have pleaded guilty, there was much for observers to learn.
Today’s witnesses were two Seattle Police homicide detectives, Paul Takimoto and James Cooper, and a state-employed expert in analyzing cell-phone records, Valentine Luu.
First, from Det. Takimoto, we learned how the SPD homicide unit is set up, as questions focused on his background and role, before moving on to his part of the Bushaw murder investigation.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At the Steve Bushaw murder trial, the third day on the witness stand was the final one – unless he’s called back later – for John Sylve, one of two men who confessed to the deadly February 2009 shooting.
On trial are two other men, Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, who are charged with first-degree murder though there’s no indication they ever fired a shot. Tuesday’s witnesses also included a woman who was at Talarico’s with Huber the night of the shooting – Super Bowl Sunday 2009 – and a woman who just happened to be at the restaurant/bar when the shooting happened outside and found herself helping tend to Bushaw’s wounds till help arrived.
This one couldn’t wait till the next roundup. Maybe you’ll see the backpacks/bottles if the crooks dumped them after realizing there was nothing monetarily valuable inside. From Stephanie at Neighborhood Preschool:
I took my preschoolers to the High Point Playfield today, and a thief took 2 of our backpacks with our water bottles in them. One backpack is gray and white camouflage, the other is an orange backpacking pack. If found, please return to the High Point Community Center, or call 206-938-6368 and leave a message. These items have no resale value, but are important to these small children who don’t understand why someone would steal from them.
From WSBeat reporter Megan Sheppard: An 18-year-old West Seattleite, wanted for a series of occupied burglaries in the community, was spotted at the 44th SW/SW Alaska bus stop today by an officer from the Southwest Precinct. Though he had long been a suspect, it was only this morning that probable cause existed to bring him in. The officer knows the young man from previous contacts, and — without telling him he was wanted — she stopped to engage him in some casual chit-chat. When she brought out the cuffs for arrest, he was reported to be both surprised and disappointed and let loose with an, “Awww, man……” He will be booked into King County Jail later today for investigation of burglary.
(February 1, 2009, photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
For those following our coverage of the first trial in 3 years involving a West Seattle murder case, the shooting death of Steve Bushaw on Super Bowl Sunday night 2009: Though the usual court schedule is 9 am-4 pm Mondays-Thursdays during what’s projected to be a month-or-so-long trial, the proceedings ended early today – Prosecutor Jeff Baird‘s next witness is expected to be on the stand a while, and Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque gave him the option to either start with the witness, or end for the day; he took the latter. Earlier today, the questioning of John Sylve, one of the two confessed triggermen, ended. He was followed on the witness stand by a woman who, accompanied by a friend from out of town, went to Talarico’s the night of the shooting with Bryce Huber, one of the two defendants; the day concluded with testimony from another woman who just happened to be at Talarico’s that night, heard the gunshots, and wound up helping to tend to Bushaw’s wounds before medics arrived. The next witness is expected to be a Seattle Police detective. Today’s full story, coming up later.
Two notes this noontime. First, police have investigated reports of possible gunfire heard NEAR South Seattle Community College, leading to what one WSB’er said via Facebook was a precautionary campus alert message. We checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith, and he says that officers did NOT find any evidence of actual gunfire. “Shots fired” reports are common enough – and often turn out to be fireworks – that we don’t usually write about them unless we get multiple inquiries; this time we did. So again, NO evidence of gunfire found. … Second, vandals hit the West Genesee P-Patch again:
A dog-walker who went by this morning spotted plants torn out and tossed in the street, and called us (206-293-6302 any time). We contacted Tiffany, who had reported the damage done 4 weeks ago, and West Seattle Christian Church, whose property the P-Patch is on – they called police. Tiffany checked out the damage and says it’s not as bad as last time: “Mostly just supportive stakes pulled up, but not much damage to the plants, thankfully. They pulled up a few plants from the border garden this time as well. Most of the damage was in the top four plots, however. That’s where they ripped up plants, stakes, stomped on things, and smashed plants. They also tossed one of the picnic benches on the roof of our garden shed and one in a plot, smashing her tomatoes. Although we aren’t allowed to lock the area up, we’re going to have a
meeting to discuss what we can do to help prevent future incidents.” Security cameras might not be out of the question. She says the food-bank plot was spared, and the only community help they’d like right now is to continue keeping an eye out: “I, for one, am frustrated and don’t see the point in spending time, effort, and money on this if it’s just going to be repeatedly destroyed, so I hope this stops!”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A tale both chilling and bumbling emerged in court Monday as one of the two confessed triggermen in the February 2009 Steve Bushaw murder spent the entire day on the witness stand.
Opening the second week of testimony in the trial of alleged mastermind Bryce Huber and alleged getaway driver Brandon Chaney, both charged with first-degree murder, John Sylve answered questions about the night of the deadly shooting – including a semi-botched getaway.
As Sylve acknowledged under afternoon questioning by the defense, he changed his story this past January – suddenly striking a plea bargain, admitting to a reduced charge of second-degree murder with firearm enhancement, theoretically bringing a much shorter sentence.
Much of their questioning involved challenges to the times and places he described, all on February 1, 2009. But first – the story he told:
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight – a vandalized car, and a broken-into car – read on:Read More
We’re at the King County Courthouse again today in week two of testimony in the trial of the two remaining defendants in the Super Bowl Sunday 2009 murder of 26-year-old Steve Bushaw outside Talarico’s in The Junction. Continuing his testimony again this morning (after a delay because his “street clothes” hadn’t been brought up from the jail in Kent) was John Sylve, one of the two men who pleaded guilty to firing the deadly shots. Responding to questions from prosecutor Jeff Baird, Sylve told his story of how the shooting unfolded – and the getaway, in which he says they intended to go throw guns and shell casings off the West Seattle Bridge but got lost trying to find it, and eventually changed their plan; he also says the other confessed killer, Danny O’Neal, was sure they had both missed. Court resumes in about an hour; we’ll have the full story of today’s developments later. (You can find our ongoing coverage here – newest-to-oldest.)
Two Three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports to share (with a suspicion-evoking sighting added 12:18 pm) – read on:Read More
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Returning to her Arbor Heights home Friday afternoon of last week, a woman encountered two people — described as a man in his 50s and a woman in her 60s — with their hands inside her mailbox. When they realized they had been spotted, the pair drove away northbound on 35th SW in a new green Chevy Blazer.
*Arriving home in the 8600 block of Fauntleroy SW, a woman encountered a stranger. when she asked what he was doing, he mumbled an excuse involving the names of people that didn’t live there. He walked out the front door as she noticed a brown or rust-colored “boxy” ’80s or ’90s sedan pull away from the neighbor’s driveway. It seems the suspect used a hidden key to get in the home and left behind a blue notebook that had references to Craigslist, pawn shops, and eBay. The suspect was a white male, approximately 25 years old, with brown hair and wearing a baseball cap turned backward.
And there’s more information on another intruder case, one previously covered on WSB, among the 12 summaries ahead:Read More
By Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The King County Superior Court trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, charged with first-degree murder in the February 2009 shooting death of lifelong West Seattleite Steve Bushaw, is in recess until Monday.
In the jury trial that could take as long as a month, three main witnesses were on the stand Thursday, including one of the admitted triggermen, John Sylve. But first:
Today’s proceedings began with a resumption of testimony from Detective Kevin O’Keefe of the Seattle Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Next, the state called Seattle Police Detective Mike Magan to the stand. Magan was the detective assigned to investigate a home-invasion robbery in Seattle – the aftermath of that robbery is alleged to have helped precipitate the murder.) Then, Sylve followed.
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