West Seattle, Washington
02 Tuesday
Last Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, for the first time in a while, we covered one of those helicopter incidents – a law-enforcement chopper overhead a south West Seattle neighborhood for quite some time, leaving hundreds of people wondering “what’s going on?” Two hours after the first report, we finally got police information on what had happened – described at the time as a stolen-car case, with three arrests. Now we have the actual report from that incident, found in the latest stack of scanned reports we downloaded at the precinct tonight, so we wanted to share the details in case you’d been wondering:Read More
Early today, we spotted a listing on the King County Jail Register indicating that someone was booked last night for “investigation of homicide.” We checked this morning with Seattle Police to see if by chance it was related to one of the unsolved murders in West Seattle — and Detective Jeff Kappel from the media unit has just called us back with confirmation, so you’re hearing it here first: The 21-year-old man who’s in jail is being held in connection with the Friday night killing of a 71-year-old woman in the Sharon Lynn Apartments at Fauntleroy/Dawson (first reported here Saturday morning as a “suspicious death”). He says the suspect “is a family member, so it’s a domestic-violence homicide” and was arrested yesterday afternoon, about 8 hours before being booked into jail. That’s all the information available right now; the victim has not yet been publicly identified, and investigators have not yet described the manner in which she was killed. ADDED 9:27 PM: Police have now posted this on SPDBlotter (no additional details beyond what we’ve written).
We told you this morning about what police called a suspicious death in a building at Fauntleroy and Dawson. Police now say the victim was a 71 year-old woman and her death is classified as a homicide. More information at SPDBlotter. Google Street View of the building (you can click inside the image to move around and get an idea of where this is, if you’re not familiar with the area):
ADDED 6:55 PM ALONG WITH THAT IMAGE: For context – this is the second homicide case of the year in West Seattle (first one, the still-unsolved Steve Bushaw shooting on 2/1); there was only one for all of last year, a woman in Highland Park killed last spring by her husband, who then killed himself. In 2007, there were three (all men killed by someone they knew – the third case, the 59th/Admiral shooting in October ’07, was ruled self-defense, after a trial WSB covered extensively; the other two ended with plea bargains – here and here). Also, one very good point made in an unrelated crime thread in the WSB Forums: Everyone concerned about crime in our area is not only welcome, but encouraged, to attend the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – it’s coming up this Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room, and since there are almost always several reps from the precinct there, you will get the latest on the homicides, and other local crimes, firsthand, as well as a chance to ask any questions you have (the special guest is the SPD 911 team leader, to help debunk myths about when to call 911 and when not to).
Out of the inbox, from Greg in Seaview:
Sometime during the night of Feb 12 or daytime Feb 13, a Yakima roof rack was stolen off of my car parked in the 5000 block of 48th Ave SW [map]. The car was damaged by the thieves and this was the third car theft we have had in the past three months.
Less than two weeks ago, we had multiple rack-theft reports in this story and the ensuing comments.
Though it didn’t happen in West Seattle, it wasn’t that far away, and the photo’s pretty clear, so on the offhand chance you recognize this bank robber, we’re sharing the photo provided by the FBI. He held up a Key Bank on SW 152nd in Burien around 10:45 this morning, using a “demand note.” White man, late 20s, medium height, slim build, brown hair, and goatee. Call 911 if you have a clue about his identity and/or whereabouts.
If you were here over the weekend, you may recall quite the lively discussion following our report on a Sunday morning robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska 76 station. Some participants in the discussion mentioned hoping more details would become available, so we’ve been watching for the police report to be released. We obtained it late last night, and the details reveal this robbery was even more serious than we were told that day – read on:Read More
ORIGINAL 12:06 AM REPORT: Have received several notes about a helicopter circling in south West Seattle – and a report that it’s related to a King County Sheriff’s Office search in northwest Shorewood. Nothing obvious on the scanner yet but we’re checking. Reports so far have come from 35th and Roxbury, near Westwood Village, and Arbor Heights, so far. (Aside – when you hear a helicopter at this hour, it’s 90% likely it’s Guardian One, the law-enforcement helicopter that belongs to the county but also assists various city jurisdictions sometimes; TV-news helicopters do not fly at this hour unless it’s a gigantic story for which a pilot has been called in.) 12:16 AM: One comment from Arbor Heights mentions police on the ground in their neighborhood. 12:48 AM: Several neighbors report the helicopter has stopped. If we don’t succeed in getting official information tonight, we will seek it out first thing in the morning and publish an update soon as we get it. 2:10 AM UPDATE: Lt. Ron Smith at the Southwest Precinct provides the details: It involved a stolen car; three suspects were arrested after a search involving not only the King County Guardian One helicopter but also Seattle Police K-9, Seattle Police ACT team, and SPD patrol officers.
Just finished reviewing several days worth of Seattle Police reports from Southwest Precinct cases, as provided for media review (with certain details excised before the copies are made public, such as exact addresses). One of the cases that stood out, a heroic neighbor who helped catch burglars: At 7 pm last Tuesday, in the 5000 block of California, a man heard a loud noise, and saw two people entering his neighbor’s house. He called the neighbor, who was in a workshop on the alley; the neighbor went into the house and confronted three people, holding them at bay with a crowbar till police arrived. Officers arrested two women and a man. It appeared they had gotten in by kicking in a door. Read on for summaries of other police reports, including one night last week in which “car prowlers” were VERY busy in West Seattle, two bizarre burglaries involving water, a reader report of a break-in this week, and moreRead More
New information about the suspected gunshots reported last night by residents northwest of The Junction: This afternoon, evidence was found that shots indeed were fired. First word came from Stacy, who posted this comment on the original report:
Contrary to popular belief, the noises heard on the 4100 block between Dakota and Genesee last night around 8:30 were actually gunshots. At approximately 3:30 today, eight shell casings were found on the ground along with three bullet holes – two in a parked car and one in a neighbors house. Police were called and just finished their investigation.
Officers who investigated last night didn’t find anything, but we just confirmed Stacy’s report with Lt. Ron Smith at the Southwest Precinct, who says an officer indeed went back out this afternoon to investigate bullet holes in a car and house. No one was hit. (Later note: We have a followup question out regarding the exact location, as well as whether there is any indication of random vs. target.)
That’s what Stacey Bushaw told us about an hour ago, looking around at what she called “the second wave” of people filling Talarico’s for this afternoon’s benefit, raising money for the family of her cousin Steve Bushaw, shot outside the Junction restaurant one week ago tonight. “Half the people here, I don’t even know!” Stacey marveled. In addition to the capacity crowd inside, some gathered outside — among them, two police officers, a reminder that Steve’s killers have not yet been caught. Near the back of the restaurants, photos and tributes – some originally created for the streetside memorial last Monday – were set up steps away from the stage:
Under that table, people had placed bouquets of flowers – and a soccer ball, in tribute to the sport in which Steve excelled:
Stacey told us that Talarico’s covered the cost of both the pizza and the music, so all proceeds for the afternoon – and what she described as many generous extra donations – would go toward the benefit. All in all, she said, it’s been a weekend full of people showing support and love – she said the private funeral at Forest Lawn yesterday also drew an overflow crowd, more than 400 people. A video tribute to her cousin was shown twice during this afternoon’s benefit, and a printed copy of the eulogy was posted in the memorial area by the stage:
Stacey explained that the video closed with a line also seen on the poster for the benefit – “Our circle of love will never be broken” – because of family significance: It was a line of solace on the printed memorial program when the cousins lost their grandmother several years back, and Stacey says Steve had it tattooed across his chest, with his surname on one arm, his mother’s maiden surname on the other. She remarked again about how grateful their large extended family was for this weekend’s outpouring from friends, relatives, and other community members: “All this, for my little cousin.” Meantime, we are checking daily with police for any word of a break in the case.
ORIGINAL REPORT: We haven’t verified this yet but it’s from a known source and given the time sensitivity, we’d rather pass it along sooner than later:
just rolled up to the 76 station at alaska and fauntleroy, which has apparently just been robbed, probably between 11 and 11:30 a.m.
there were two patrol cars on site, and i asked one officer if she had a description. her reply:
“asian male, 5′ or so, black jeans, black sweater.” she said she was in the area when the call came in, and he disappeared pretty quickly.
i know the description is vague, but anyone in the area who sees a man fitting the description should call 911.
We’ll head over to see what we can confirm.
12:06 PM UPDATE: What we found out at the scene: The above-described robber – NOT displaying a weapon – somehow got behind the store’s counter, grabbed a bunch of lottery scratch tickets, and bolted.
One week ago tonight, two men opened fire on 26-year-old Steve Bushaw outside Talarico’s in The Junction. They got away, described only as black men in a white car; Steve died at the hospital. This afternoon, Talarico’s will be the scene of a fundraiser for his family, organized by friends, to share and celebrate memories, and to help the family deal with expenses, hopefully even raise some reward money. Everyone’s invited, 1-5 pm, $10 cover at the door. Donations also are being accepted at US Bank branches; mention the Steve Bushaw memorial fund. Meantime, we continue to check with police daily regarding any progress in the investigation, but they’ve had no updates to announce since Monday; here’s our coverage from the night it happened, plus followups the next morning and afternoon, and a Wednesday report with more about today’s event.
It’s been discussed here before: Southwest Precinct police leadership advises “call 911 if you see something/someone suspicious,” and we’ve reported that here, multiple times; then on occasion someone who does call, reports back that they were told that wasn’t an emergency and they shouldn’t have called 911. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has been pursuing such concerns with 911 system managers, and Lt. Greg Schmidt, who runs the SPD 911 center, will be the guest at the next WSCPC meeting a week from Tuesday, to explain how it works, to answer questions, to listen to concerns. The reason we’re telling you now is not just so you can mark your calendar, but also because, if you have a specific question they can get to him in advance, particularly about a specific case in which you called 911 and didn’t get the response you expected, they’d like to hear from you by next Thursday – e-mail the WSCPC’s staff liaison from Seattle Neighborhood Group (which by the way is NOT a city agency), Jennifer Duong, at jennifer@sngi.org. The council’s meeting also, as always, will include crime reports and neighborhood “hot spot” concerns; it’ll be at 7 pm February 17 at the SW Precinct meeting room.
Linda tells the story of what she found when she got home tonight (6300 block of 40th SW; map):Read More
That’s the poster that Stacey Bushaw tells WSB has been distributed throughout West Seattle to invite everyone to this Sunday afternoon’s event benefiting the family of her cousin, Steve Bushaw, the 26-year-old man shot and killed in The Junction last Sunday night. The two men who shot him are still on the loose; police have not provided any new information, so all we know is what we originally reported (here’s our coverage from the night it happened, plus followups the next morning and afternoon).
Out of the WSB inbox:
I wanted to let folks know that our neighbor’s house was broken into today somewhere between 10 and 11 AM. We live on the 8700 block of 16th between Trenton and Donovan (map). It appears they came over the backyard fence and entered through a window — (writing to ask) if anyone happened to see anything, and to be aware if they see any suspicious persons around. They stole specific items such as a laptop, video camera, etc.
The family of 26-year-old Steven Bushaw, the man shot and killed in The Junction on Sunday night, has now decided to go ahead and release a recent photo of him. His sister Tanya Bushaw says that’s Steve with niece Ava, photographed last summer. As we reported last night, a fundraising event is scheduled at Talarico’s this Sunday, and a fund has been set up at US Bank in Steve’s name. Some asked us what the money would be used for, so we asked Tanya, and she replied: “People should know that my family had nothing to do with organizing any of these memorial events or accounts. Friends of Steve set up the event with Talarico’s and another friend of our family who works with US Bank insisted on setting up this fund. Yes the funds will be used for funeral expenses other expenses associated with closing his estate if you will.” The family plans a private memorial service in West Seattle this Saturday. So far, still no word from police of arrests, and no further information on the suspects beyond the vague descriptions originally made public Sunday night — two black males, possibly with dreadlocks, who got away, heading southbound, in a white sedan.
1:02 PM UPDATE: The Sunday event at Talarico’s is being organized by another family member, Steve’s cousin Stacey Bushaw, who just told us the time has been changed to 1-5 pm. She also elaborates on the purpose of the event:
This fundraiser (is) to help cover all medical bills as well as all funeral and burial costs. In addition, this fundraiser will help with possibly setting up reward money to find the assailants and it will also help cover any other unforeseeable bills that may continue to creep up.
No one ever expects something tragic like this to happen to them or their family so we are being proactive and assuring that his parents and sister do not have to face any more obstacles while they continue to mourn over our loss. This is our chance to play a role in helping take away as much of the financial burden from them as we possibly can.
More importantly we are celebrating Stevie’s life. There will be music, food, drinks, and just a time to share in Stevie’s amazing memory with people that love him dearly. I can’t articulate the pain our family is feeling but we truly appreciate all the love and support we have received from family, friends, and the community at large.
Stevie will live on forever through us and our circle of love will never be broken!
**UPDATE – SINCE THIS WAS PUBLISHED, TALARICO’S EVENT TIME MOVED TO 1-5 PM**
We just heard again from Tanya Bushaw, sister of Steven Bushaw, whose shooting death in The Junction on Sunday night remains unsolved – she wants everyone to know about a benefit coming up this weekend, and she has an additional message:
A friend at US Bank is setting up a memorial fund at US Bank. It is supposed to be set up tomorrow afternoon for people to donate to. I believe it will be under Steve’s name…so people just have to mention Steve Bushaw memorial fund but I will find out the final details tomorrow.
(And) Talarico’s has offered to open their establishment for us to hold a benefit evening in memory of Steve. It will be this Sunday evening at 8 pm and it will be a $10 cover for each person and any other donations are welcome as well. They have been so kind to offer a band to play and the proceeds from the evening will be donated to the family. They also told us that kids are welcome to come from 8 until 9 pm. After 9 pm anyone under 21 will not be allowed.
Tanya adds a message that she feels is very important for you to understand:
This had nothing to do with Talarico’s beyond the fact that it happened in front of their business. The people that did this were not patrons of Talarico’s and people should not feel scared to go there. I myself have been there before, and it’s not a place to be afraid of.
(An earlier version of this story included the date/time for the memorial but the family decided they need to keep that invitation-only for now.) Again, as we reported earlier tonight, police haven’t released any new information on the search for the two men who opened fire on Steven Bushaw as he crossed the street late Sunday night, midblock between Alaska and Edmunds. We are continuing to check with them frequently and will let you know whenever there’s anything new to report. 9:37 PM P.S.: The tribute table with flowers and signs is back outside Talarico’s tonight.
JUNCTION SHOOTING INVESTIGATION: We just checked with Seattle Police, and Officer Jeff Kappel says there’s no new information in the search for the men who shot 26-year-old Steven Bushaw as he crossed the street in The Junction night before last (Sunday night coverage here, Monday morning followup here, Monday afternoon followup here). As for his family, we have exchanged e-mail with his sister Tanya, who says she will let us know when there is information to share about his memorial service. (As of this afternoon, the temporary memorial set up outside Talarico’s [left photo] was gone; people who knew Steven are continuing to leave comments remembering him in this thread.)
ATTACK NEAR PARK: Police also released information regarding an incident we checked out last night but at the time were unable to verify: The “assault with weapons” call near Riverview Park around 9:40 last night turns out to have been a stabbing. Officer Kappel says a man in his 50s was out for a walk in the 7200 block of 12th SW (map) and was attacked by a man who got away. There’s no information on how the victim is doing. His attacker is described as “a black male, 5-7, 130 pounds, large front teeth, dark coat, light T-shirt, light pants, fled in a white subcompact car.” 9:24 PM UPDATE: From the WSB Blogs page (thanks to “d” for the tip), Highland Park Action Committee chair Dan Mullins‘ blog has more information about the victim, identifying him as David Skinner and saying he’s still in the hospital with injuries including a punctured lung.
There’s an “assault with weapons” call in the 7500 block of 12th SW (by the south end of Riverview Playfield – here’s a map); no other details so far – heading to check it out. 10:32 PM UPDATE: Got to the area, police and fire gone, call now closed on 911 site. TUESDAY UPDATE: It was a stabbing, according to this P-I blog post. Following up with SPD.
Flowers and other tributes have been placed at the scene of last night’s deadly shooting in The Junction (original report here, morning update here). No word of arrests yet, nor formal ID from the Medical Examiner’s office (the 26-year-old victim’s sister sent WSB e-mail early this morning but we have withheld his name pending official confirmation of the ID), but we are about to make another round of calls to check. We will have photos of the tributes shortly. Many people who knew the victim have already written tributes in the comments on our morning update, starting here. 3:37 PM UPDATE: Adding photos. The memorial was set up by three childhood friends of Steve; the table was provided by Talarico’s. To quote one of them, honest and raw: “This is so f—d up.” They are working on memorial plans, and they invite anyone who knew Steve to come down and write, or leave, a tribute. 3:49 PM UPDATE: The victim’s full name is now public: Steven Ray Bushaw, per the King County Medical Examiner’s office, cause of death reiterated as “multiple gunshot wounds.”
4:28 PM UPDATE: Just called police to ask if there’s ANYTHING new we can report. Officer Mark Jamieson in the media unit says, in a word, no. The last, and only, official description of the suspects is, “two black males in a white sedan” – they can’t even confirm the potential dreadlock-hairstyle detail that we picked up off the scanner last night (and of course, what’s heard on the scanner often changes in cases big and small as police receive conflicting information and have to sort through it). If you have ANY information that might help the investigation, call 911.
ADDED 4:42 PM: In comments, there’s a tribute mentioning that Steve Bushaw was a talented soccer player. While looking for online info, we found this link to a Times story from 11 years ago, about his role in a huge upset win for the West Seattle High School soccer team.
ADDED EARLY TUESDAY: We have e-mailed the family a request for a photo of Steve. Meantime, WSB’er Alice discovered he’s in her 1999 WSHS yearbook, and sent us the photo you see at left.
If you have a Yakima-brand rack on your car, beware – ahead, two theft reports in 2 nights:Read More
(Sunday night photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Though his wounds were originally described as “not life-threatening,” Seattle Police now say the man shot in The Junction late last night died overnight. The update a short time ago from Officer Renee Witt also includes a few other changes to what police have found out since our original coverage: They say he’s 26 years old and was “walking across the street” when two people “both opened fire, striking the victim twice.” (We have since clarified with Officer Witt — as originally reported, it’s still believed he was in some kind of argument with those two people when he was shot; the victim is reported to have said that himself after running into Talarico’s and collapsing.) The two suspects are still believed to have gotten away by car, described only as a “white sedan,” and Officer Witt says investigators have no other information on the suspects they’re seeking. 7:37 AM UPDATE: Checking e-mail from the past few hours, we found this note:
The man shot at Talarico’s was my brother, Steven. He was 26 and unfortunately, he did not make it. He passed away shortly after arriving to Harborview. The shot to his chest went through the main artery from his heart. He was an amazing man and I will miss him! If any of your readers know anything about what happened please have them call the police. I just can’t believe the people who did this are out there running around…
The note is from Tanya, whose surname also is on the e-mail, but we won’t add that until we can confirm with the Medical Examiner that the man’s next-of-kin have been officially notified (we just called and they currently don’t expect to release the official ID till this afternoon). This is the first homicide in West Seattle since 49-year-old Tracey Creamer was killed last April in Highland Park by her husband, who then killed himself; that was the only 2008 WS killing, following three in 2007. 8:39 AM UPDATE: The latest information from police is also now summarized on SPDBlotter. 11:37 AM UPDATE: New photo from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli – one of the bullet holes in the Talarico’s facade:
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