West Seattle Crime Watch: Luna (Anchor) Park-area vandalism
Reported by CL:
Friday night, between 5 PMish and midnight, multiple cars on the water side of Alki near Luna Park received an egg wash… shells still on the street today, though mostly crushed by now. Cars were parked on both the east and west ends of the bus zone … so whomever threw the eggs had to keep at it a bit… probably others involved too, though these were what I saw… Also, don’t know how current / new , but there is a big graffiti on the seawall just off the bottom of the steps from Luna Park down to the beach … Seattle Parks has been advised.
(Luna Park, in this case, refers not to the business district along Avalon just south of The Bridge, but to the area where the waterfront amusement park of that name stood long ago, now marked by the small piling-top pocket park that is also known as Anchor Park.)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Know whose car this is?
A crime report this morning from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli in The Junction, who along with neighbors is hoping this car’s owner will come forward fast:
We had a car prowl overnight on 41st between Alaska and Oregon. In the two years I’ve lived here this is the first one I’ve seen on this block. Side window shattered and there’s stuff all over the passenger seat so it looks like someone went through the glovebox. I called it in to the police but there’s nothing they can really do until the owners call and report it and we’re not sure exactly who owns this car.
Fauntleroy/Dawson murder suspect not charged in that case yet
If you are arrested and jailed, there’s usually a three-day window for you to be charged or released. 
With the weekend/holiday, today was the deadline for charges against 21-year-old Dion Fillmore, arrested in connection with the murder of his 70-year-old grandmother Lavon Barrette in her Fauntleroy/Dawson apartment building last weekend. We checked with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells us that while Fillmore has not yet been charged in the killing, he remains jailed because he is charged in a separate case, punching a man in the face so hard a cheekbone was broken, last December 15th. Court documents say the attack happened when Fillmore was walking that night along Fauntleroy Way, not far from his grandmother’s apartment, and encountered the victim walking with Fillmore’s uncle. Fillmore’s bail is set at $100,000 and he is due in court March 5th to answer a charge of second-degree assault. Regarding the murder of Ms. Barrette (detailed in court documents Monday), Donohoe says, “A decision regarding homicide charges will be made at a later date.”
West Seattle Crime Watch: Lottery-ticket robber in WC too?
Remember the strong-arm robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska 76 station weekend before last – in which the robber got away with cash and lottery tickets? (Here’s our followup with full details from the police report.) 
The King County Sheriff’s Office put out a call today for help in identifying a robber with a similar M.O. who’s struck twice in White Center (late January and early February); we posted that announcement on White Center Now but then realized it sounds a lot like the Fauntleroy/Alaska bandit, so we’re mentioning it here too. Checking with investigators to see if that’s the Seattle robbery alluded to in the King County news release; also seeking any available images to post. ADDED 2:26 PM: Image at left is one of several we’ve obtained from KCSO – none is crystal clear but they still may lead to an arrest. This shows the robber hopping the counter in one of the White Center heists. And Sgt. John Urquhart from KCSO confirms it may be the same robber as in the Fauntleroy/Alaska case. Here’s one more – again, small and blurry, but we’re sharing:
West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: 911 explained, and more
From tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: As previewed earlier, the leader of SPD’s 911 center was the marquee guest, and the two-dozen-plus turnout was bigger than usual. What he had to say, coming up – but first, a few West Seattle crime notes: Overall, Lt. Steve Paulsen said, car prowls and burglaries jumped back up in January after a relatively quiet December, perhaps weather-related: 147 car prowls, more than 50 burglaries. But he also noted that police have no control over what happens after they’ve made an arrest, recapping the 14 burglary arrests made in the last couple months of the year – with 13 of those suspects back on the streets now. Meantime, the precinct is taking a new community-policing-focused tack with burglaries, having detectives call or visit all burglary victims who file reports, to follow up and to introduce themselves. One more crime note: Lt. Paulsen says last month’s stabbing incident near Riverview Playfield (covered here) was not random; some concerned neighbors were in attendance hoping to find out more about that. (And if you’re wondering, no new information about the unsolved shooting death of Steve Bushaw in The Junction on February 1st.) Now, on to the 911 explanation:Read More
Update: New information about Fauntleroy/Dawson murder
As reported here over the weekend, a woman was found dead Friday night in her apartment building at Fauntleroy and Dawson (map); police classified her death as a homicide Saturday afternoon, and the next day, confirmed a 21-year-old relative had been arrested in connection with the killing. Police have not said much more about the circumstances of the case, but documents we just obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reveal much more information. The suspect, identified as Deon Fillmore, is a grandson of the victim, Lavon Barrette (the documents say she is 70, not 71 as previously reported). He had been staying in the apartment along with two of Ms. Barrette’s sons – his father, and his uncle (who found her body Friday night), and the documents say she had been trying to get him to move out. Police found Fillmore in the Central District on Saturday; he is reported to have denied involvement, but the documents say his alibi hasn’t checked out and the evidence against him so far includes a match between a bruise on his grandmother’s face and the “sole tread pattern on (his) shoes.” The documents say her other injuries included strangulation. Fillmore remains in the King County Jail, with bail set at $1 million.
Happening today/tonight: From 911 to WWII to taxes, and more
Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
911: When to call it, and when not to? Not as easy an answer as you might think. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has been pursuing concerns about citizen confusion and dispatcher response, and has the Seattle Police 911 boss as a special guest at tonight’s meeting. 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room (map), and as always, you’ll also get the chance to learn about the latest West Seattle crime concerns and trends, as well as asking police any questions you have about what’s going on where you live.
WWII: The Rosie the Riveters of West Seattle are presenting a program about their lives during World War II at 2 pm today, cafe dining room at Providence Mount St. Vincent.
ANTIQUE SHOPPING: The folks at the Discovery Shop in The Junction (4535 California SW), which raises money for the American Cancer Society, are having their “yearly antique event,” open 10 am-4:30 pm daily except Sundays.
TAX HELP: Trained volunteers will be at the High Point Library branch, 5-7 pm tonight, to help you prepare a personal tax return. More info here.
West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Remember that helicopter?
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
Bulletin: Suspect jailed in connection with Fauntleroy Way killing
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).
UPDATE: Suspicious death now classified as homicide
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):
View Larger Map
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).
West Seattle Crime Watch: Another rack ripoff
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.
Crime Watch from not so far away: Burien bank robber
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.
Helicopter search update: 3 arrested in car-theft case
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Heroic neighbor; car-prowl spree …
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
West Seattle Crime Watch: Bullet holes found in house, car
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.)
Benefit for shooting victim’s family: “We’re overwhelmed”
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Fauntleroy/Alaska incident update
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.
Junction shooting, 1 week later: Memorial benefit today
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.
When to call 911, and when not to? Find out firsthand
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.
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