WS shooting arrest
Haven’t seen this on any of the newspaper sites, but Seattle Police confirmed for us that they have arrested a suspect in the 37th/Findlay shooting that killed Dewayne West. The suspect’s name is Jabarie Phillips. Police couldn’t share a lot of details but do say their original suspicion that this “wasn’t random” was indeed the case. Our research found that he, like the victim, is in his 30s, and has a criminal record stretching back into juvenilehood, most recently some sort of drug case dismissed less than two weeks ago. He is in the county jail, bail listed as a million dollars.
WS shooting victim’s murderous past
Some commenters on our last post about 37th/Findlay shooting victim Dewayne West were discussing an online discovery of a violent criminal record for someone with the same name. Looks like they were on the right trail; the P-I posted an article tonight talking about the man having killed someone at a Torchlight Parade almost 20 years ago, when he was just 16.
What all the Arbor Heights fuss was about
Several people e-mailed us to ask if we had any info re: helicopter, police, all sorts of hubbubbery last night in the Arbor Heights area. Lt. Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct was kind enough to provide this report:
Last night’s incident was basically an unknown female suspect who was driving erratically. SPD chose not to pursue the vehicle given public safety concerns. The female fled from the vehicle. SPD was able to locate the abandoned vehicle. Fortunately, there were a number of available police including K9 and a helicopter who were able to check the area. We were unable to locate the suspect.
More mindless destruction
Seems that somewhere around the time some criminal idiots were stealing copper wire and throwing hundreds of people off the phone system the other night, some (other?) criminal idiots were smashing out car windows on lower Gatewood Hill. Happened to us near The Beach years ago. If the cops don’t get ’em, karma will. Here’s hoping.
Taking a BIG bite out of crime
Two bits of good news:
–The P-I says (opening with a couple of West Seattle anecdotes) car theft is way down.
-The minutes from the last SW District Council meeting say tagging is way down because cops have recently nabbed no fewer than 10 graffiti vandals.
Chopper-buzz update: The police tell all
Tonight, thanks to helpful Cindi from MorganJunction.org, we have actual police info about last week’s incident that kept some WSers awake thanks to chopper involvement. A lieutenant from the Southwest Precinct sent her this explanation of (a) the crime and (b) why one inquiring caller couldn’t find anything out:
The call was a burglary with two suspects in the 6900 blk of 37th Ave SW. We were able to catch one of the burglars using the helecopter and K9.
Sometimes we do not staff the precinct clerk due to staffing shortages. A lot of the time, the daytime clerk may not be aware of incidents that occur at night unless it makes the news.
We could always do better in putting out info. We are currently trying to get the IT folks to allow us administrative access to revamp our precinct website in order to put out better info to the public.
Miscellaneous mysteries
Seems about once a week, someone notices a mysterious, unexplained late-night closure on the West Seattle Bridge. Here’s the latest report (with one response saying, without elaboration, “it was a police training exercise”). Anyone with more definitive dirt, please let us know. Meantime, remember all those recent helicopter buzzings? We have one neighborhood account of what was happening at the time on the ground (after the jump) …Read More
Wish we knew
Several people e-mailed us to ask if anyone knew why a chopper buzzed part of this side of WS (M-Junction, H-Point, etc.) for a good long while last night. We can’t find any info (though this is jumpstarting us to find a way to get more police scoop); King County is the only local police agency with a chopper, and it does assist others including Seattle PD, Port of Seattle PD, etc., when necessary. (Live Seattle police scanner here, if you have WMV.) Toward the water, if you hear chopper action, it could be the Coast Guard.
Arbor Heights shooting
What’s going on here this week? First the stabbing, now a shooting reported outside an Arbor Heights home. Very short articles this morning from the P-I and Times. Is it the turbulent weather (which at this moment features howling wind following a night of pounding rain, and forecasts threaten worse on the way)?
Deputy Cox’s funeral Friday morning
It’s open to the public.
Tonight we drove through White Center’s main commercial district for the first time since last weekend’s shooting, right past the roadside memorial south of Roxbury, marveling at how it brimmed with flowers, glowed with candles. Business and school marquees around the area bear words of tribute for the fallen hero. It’s hard to believe it all happened just a couple miles from where we live. A P-I writer brings it closer to home in this column, tying into the story of Cafe Rozella on the border between West Seattle and White Center, a cool coffeehouse we ventured into for the first time just a few days before Deputy Cox’s violent, tragic end.
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