The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged two teenage boys, 17 and 15, in a case involving shots fired at sheriff’s deputies. Reading through the documents, we learned that investigators suspect they were responsible for Last Friday afternoon’s West Seattle gunfire case, involving a man shot at after “confronting” alleged racers. The charging documents say this was part of a reported spree involving “young males … in a silver-green Honda firing shots over a 24-to-48-hour period,” starting in Burien last Thursday, continuing in White Center, and then the West Seattle incident the next day. Last Saturday, prosecutors say, deputies spotted the Honda and a seven-mile pursuit ensued, during which shots ere fired at the deputies’ car. The suspects’ car and a law-enforcement vehicle eventually collided and three people ran away. Prosecutors say the 17-year-old was found hiding nearby with two 9mm “ghost guns” at his feet. Ammunition that had been ordered online was found in the vehicle and in two bags belonging to the two teenagers. The 17-year-old was believed to be the passenger and the 15-year-old, the driver.

Here’s how the charging documents say their alleged spree unfolded:

At 8:40 am last Thursday, a call came in about gunfire in the 600 block of SW 120th in Burien. Deputies found two casings but no injuries or property damage. People in the area mentioned a 4-door Honda Civic. About an hour and a half later, a call came in from a man who said he was riding his bicycle on SW 107th in White Center when someone in a Civic almost hit him. He and the car’s occupants “exchanged words” – and then a passenger in a car shot twice at the rider, missing him the first time, then hitting him in the leg. This shooting was recorded by the security video system of a nearby Metro bus. Detective circulated images from the video.

The next day at 3 pm, Seattle Police were called to investigate gunfire on West Marginal. Here’s how these documents say that happened:

The suspect vehicle … was driving erratically and was possibly racing another vehicle on West Marginal Way. The vehicle was passing other vehicles in the center turn lane. As they all approached the busy intersection, (the victim) ended up beside the suspect vehicle for a red light. (The victim) began exchanging words with the suspect driver about his driving. (The victim) then got out of his vehicle and continued the exchange of words. At some point (the victim) says he kneed the suspect vehicle, At this, the driver and passenger each pulled out guns and pointed them at (the victim, who says) they said something to the effect of “You don’t want to mess with us.” (The victim) then backed away and the driver took one gunshot at his vehicle. The gun then appeared to have jammed (and then) the front passenger leaned across the driver and fired two shots into each of (the victim’s) vehicle’s tires.

Witnesses took photos/video that enabled investigators to match the vehicle with the one involved in the White Center shooting the day before. And WC is where, 7 hours later, deputies spotted the car, parked, but it was driven away before they could move in. Four and a half hours later, they spotted it again, this time on the move in downtown Burien. They pursued the vehicle south, and it was around Des Moines where deputies say they were shot at. The pursuit ended after the driver wound up in a dead-end cul-de-sac. That’s where three people bolted, all caught within a few hours after what the documents describe as a massive search.

Two boys are charged in connection with the pursuit and that gunfire – charges are not yet filed in the other cases, including the West Seattle incident. The 17-year-old passenger alleged to have done most of the shooting is charged as an adult, so we’re identifying him, Evan T. Nguyen of Burien. He is charged with two felonies, first-degree assault with a firearm and second-degree unlawful firearm possession. The 15-year-old is charged with three felonies, first-degree assault with a firearm, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. (The third boy who was in the car has not been charged.)

Before the charges were filed, at their first appearances this past Monday, prosecutors argued that both should remain in juvenile detention. The judge agreed for the 15-year-old, but allowed the 17-year-old to be sent home with electronic monitoring. Now that he’s charged, prosecutors say, a judge has agreed to a $500,000 warrant to book him back into custody; we don’t know his current status. Nguyen has a previous felony firearms case pending in a case that killed a 19-year-old man in Burien (he’s not charged in the death because it was possible self-defense); the 15-year-old has no record.

Maybe you can help find Jake‘s stolen work truck:

I own Dreamscapes Landscaping down on West Marginal way sw. Over the weekend I was out of town and one of the work trucks was stolen from our property. It is a 2005 Ford F350. It’s white with our black Dreamscapes logo on each front door. It’s a 4-door long bed. License plate C42876D. The truck had a full bed, full of dirt. It also has a custom rear bumper with a crane in the bumper.

If you find it, notify police.

SIDE NOTE: SPD also continues to look for, and find, stolen vehicles via use of the “automated license-plate reader” technology. This morning we heard officer-dispatcher exchanges about one – a stolen Ford Ranger left in the 1900 block of Harbor SW, discovered via ALPR around 9:30 am. We don’t know where or when it was taken, but the officer who found it contacted its owner and she was reported to be driving it home shortly thereafter.

Another confirmed gunfire incident in West Seattle. The overnight police summaries say that 911 got reports of suspected gunfire just after 9:30 last night. Near 16th and Barton, police found “evidence of a shooting,” but no victims or property damage. The report says “witnesses in the area” told police that two vehicles might have been involved with the gunfire, described as “a dark SUV and dark sedan.”

An accused rapist is in the King County Jail after being arrested in The Junction early Saturday. We first learned of the arrest from this SPD summary:

It has been reported that, every weekend for weeks, a suspect has been terrorizing patrons and employees of various Admiral/Alaska Junction establishments and venues. Officers have become familiar with the subject and staff have formed a loose community advising one another whenever the suspect or his vehicle come into the area. Generally, suspect takes off prior to police arrival. On 06-25-2022 at 0149 hours, officers received a similar call for service. Officers determined that the suspect had a rape warrant with a $1,000,000 bail, formulated a plan and took suspect into custody without incident.

We’ve learned that the suspect is 29-year-old Domanick A. Gaskin; we obtained the photo at right from the state Department of Corrections, which had it because he has served time in state prison. Most recently, that was for a South Seattle case in 2018 that made regional news – in a domestic-violence incident in which he was described as both suspect and victim. Court records show he pleaded guilty to reduced charges in 2020 and was given a three-year sentence with credit for time already served. He had two prior robbery convictions a decade ago, as well as a domestic-violence conviction in 2016. The new rape case against him was just filed Friday and it too involved domestic violence, according to the court documents, in an incident that happened in North Seattle earlier this month. Now that he’s in custody, we’re waiting to hear back from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office about what happens next, and will add anything more we find out.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

HIT-RUN: Aaron reports that vehicle was left behind after an early-morning hit-and-run in Sunrise Heights: “We heard a neighbor’s vehicle get hit at 3:14 this morning. The car involved was abandoned on the sidewalk at the corner of 31st and Myrtle, and the 3 occupants fled north on foot through Walt Huntley Playfield.” It’s since been towed. If you have any info, the SPD incident # is 22-163181.

PACKAGE DELIVERED, THEN TAKEN: From Jessica and AJ:

I’d just like to spread the word for the neighborhood of 27th and Thistle to keep an eye out for a package thief. They hit us immediately after the package was dropped off at 12:20 pm today.

Jen at Alki Kayak Tours (based at Seacrest Pier) sent the report and photo:

Our SUP closet was broken into (overnight Thursday into Friday) – damaging the door and busting part of the latch where the padlock slides into. Boards were stolen. If anyone has any information or saw anything, please call us, 206-953-0237.

When we first reported on the Monday morning shooting that killed 56-year-old Anthony Gonzalez at a Delridge encampment, we mentioned police were investigating another shooting in a similar time frame, at 16th/Cambridge. Today the charging documents for Mr. Gonzalez’s accused killer, Jaycee C. Thompson, reveal police believe he’s to blame for the other shooting too. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Thompson, who is 43, with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, attempted second-degree robbery, and second-degree unlawful firearm possession. The charging documents note the case remains under investigation and so charges might be upgraded or added, but for now, here is the story that prosecutors and police tell in those documents, describing what they call “a multi-location violent crime spree in West Seattle”:

Late Sunday night, several people were gathered in the alley behind the South Delridge 7-11 when Thompson drove up in what was later found to be a white work van stolen from Bothell. Thompson got out holding a “pistol-grip shotgun” and walked toward them. One of them, a man who says he’s a friend of Thompson’s, says the suspect seemed “agitated” and demanded money. The friend thought Thompson was joking – until he hit him with the shotgun. Less than an hour later, a 35-year-old man was shot at 16th/Barton (previously reported as 16th/Cambridge) and taken to a Burien hospital but immediately transferred to Harborview; he’s undergone multiple surgeries for removal of buckshot – associated with a shotgun – from his abdomen. That detail aside, the documents don’t say why Thompson is the suspect in that shooting. But a short time later, 911 calls started coming in about the 26th/Juneau encampment shooting. That’s where the kidnapping charge comes in; as we reported in our first followup, upon arrival at the camp, Thompson is reported to have held a man at gunpoint and demanded to be taken to “Gonzo” (the murder victim’s nickname). A witness who was in the victim’s “makeshift structure” talking with him when Thompson burst in said the suspect asked something like “Where’s the money and drugs?” but didn’t even wait for an answer before shooting the victim in the face, killing him. That witness said Thompson let them go, at which point they ran out into the encampment and told everyone to run because he had just killed “Gonzo.”

On Tuesday night, after a tip, they arrested Thompson near where the “spree” began in South Delridge. The stolen white van was found at 25th/Cloverdale. Police were still awaiting a warrant to search it when the court documents were written but reported that a shotgun was visible through the windows. Thompson remains in the King County Jail with bail set at $5 million.

The report and photo were sent by Michelle:

Electric Scooter stolen from the Safeway in Admiral Junction around 5:30 pm Wednesday Night. The owner had just taken it out of the box. The thieves used bolt cutters to remove the lock. Police have been notified. It is a Fat Bear Bike, two-seater, black. If you see it or know something, please call the police.

FRIDAY UPDATE: Found – see comment.

1 AM: Police and medics from both sides of the city-limit line have responded to a shooting reported at the Roxbury Safeway. One person is reported injured; King County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported taking a suspect into custody and recovering a gun. No other details so far.

1:14 AM: Both SPD and KCSO continue to investigate. There’s also been word that at least one other person with a gunshot wound has been “dropped off” at Harborview – whether related to this, too soon to say.

1:30 AM: Officers are discussing multiple scenes, including a “trail of blood” that led northward across Roxbury.

5:39 AM: Here’s what SPD has posted:

(Seattle Police Department photo)

Police are investigating after a woman was seriously injured in a shooting in Roxhill.

At 12:41 a.m., police responded to a shooting near 27th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Roxbury Street. Officers arrived and found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds in a car in a parking lot. Police began first aid, and responding Seattle Fire Department medics transported the 35-year-old woman to Harborview Medical Center.

Investigating officers discovered evidence that the shooting occurred in the 9400 block of 27th Avenue Southwest.

Meanwhile, a King County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted a man nearby who stated he was present at the shooting. The man relinquished a gun, and police took him into custody.

Shortly thereafter, a gunshot victim arrived at HMC via private vehicle. Police are still investigating and will determine if that victim was involved in this incident.

Anyone with information about this shooting should call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

If you’re in the Alki area and thought you heard gunfire around midnight, neighbors discovered this morning that you indeed did. Some of it even pierced the walls of a home.

That photo is from Linda, who discovered the damage inside her home – about two blocks east of Alki Playfield – after a neighbor found a bullet casing on the street nearby and texted everyone on the block about it.

Linda subsequently found the broken dishes but didn’t initially connect the two, wondering if there had been an earthquake. She showed her husband, “and he could see the round entry hole from the bullet, so we dashed outside and found three bullet holes in our home’s siding. One went into that cabinet, the second went into a closet, ricocheted around, and then blew out and landed in our living room. The third is apparently lost in the rafters above the ceiling.”

They called 911 and police responded. “They collected the bullets, the bullet casing Anne found, then looked around and located the other two on the other side of the street.” The officer speculated that “the shooters were driving uphill and fired indiscriminately. According to him, this happens a lot, with people shooting guns without targets and not really caring what or whom they hit. One of our neighbors remembered hearing the noise just after midnight, and apparently someone else had called in gunfire to 911 at 12:17 am so he thought it was the same incident.” Police urged them (as we always do if someone texts us about suspected gunfire) to always call 911, even if you’re not sure what you heard.

Linda concludes, “I had managed to convince myself that this kind of incident was typically between people/groups who knew each other and were up to no good, so it’s a bit of a shock to find out that isn’t so.”

10:57 AM: Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting that killed a man in an encampment at 26th/Juneau early Monday. Police say a 911 tip led them to the 43-year-old man in South Delridge (the call log says the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW). He was booked into the King County Jail early today. Jail records show the suspect had spent a month there recently, from May 11th to June 13th, in relation to an auto-theft case.

4:21 PM UPDATE: Court documents reveal more about the murder case, including the victim’s name, Anthony Gonzales; the King County Medical Examiner says he was 58 years old. We are also naming the suspect – Jaycee C. Thompson – as he is already charged in another case (the auto-theft case is actually from a West Seattle incident last year, covered here).

In Monday’s murder, the initial police document says Thompson was a “friend” of Mr. Gonzales, who lived at the encampment. Less than an hour before the shooting, police say, Thompson allegedly assaulted another “friend” in the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW. He then drove to the encampment at 25th/Juneau, where he allegedly ordered someone at gunpoint to take him to the victim’s campsite. Another witness told police that Thompson kicked open the door to Mr. Gonzales’s “makeshift structure” and then said something about money and drugs before shooting the victim in the face.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provided us with information explaining why Thompson was released from jail a week before this, and what led up to it. The original case was a car theft at the Delridge Arco/AM-PM in March of last year; Thompson was held after that in lieu of $5,000 bail. The KCPAO filed the auto-theft charge against Thompson in April. In August of last year, his lawyer argued for “less-restrictive conditions of release. A Superior Court judge released him on his personal recognizance. In October, a warrant was issued after he failed to show up for a hearing. He was arrested on January 5th. Two weeks later, the Northwest Community Bail Fund posted the $5,000 for his bail, and he was released. Two months later – in March – Thompson again failed to appear for a hearing; another warrant was issued. He was arrested May 11th. On June 13th, his lawyer “made another motion for less restrictive alternatives. THE KCPAO objected to his release – he still had a warrant active in a Pierce County DUI case. A judge released him to the Community Center for Alternative Programs on his personal recognizance,” per KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney. That was one week before this Monday’s murder. The first hearing in that case has just concluded, McNerthney tells us, with no bail decision since the suspect “refused to come to court.”

Maybe you’ll spot Jennifer‘s stolen Jeep:

2015 black Jeep stolen in Fauntleroy area. If seen or found, please call 911 and reference incident number 22-157760.

Our report on the early-morning shooting death in Delridge began as a note that police were investigating two reported shootings. We finally have a bit of information from police about the other one. This one wasn’t brought to authorities’ attention until the victim had been taken from the scene and was driving, or being driven to a hospital. That original call was made from White Center, so the call was first routed to the King County Sheriff’s Office, but when they were told the shooting had happened at 16th SW/SW Cambridge, it became a Seattle Police case. This afternoon, SPD spokesperson Valerie Carson tells WSB they’ve confirmed that a 35-year-old man was shot there, and that he’s now at Harborview Medical Center. Police have not yet, however, been able to interview him about the circumstances, because of the treatment he’s been undergoing, Det. Carson said.

Two 2-wheeled reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STOLEN MOTORCYCLE: Maybe you can help Joseph find the motorcycle he uses to get to and from grad school:

It’s a blue 2021 Honda CB300R. stolen from the 7100 block of 34th SW early this morning. We’ll add the report # when we get it. (ADDED: SPD incident # 22-156850; the motorcycle’s plate # is 9G3441.)

DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN BICYCLE: John sent the photo:

It was left alongside a stairway in Highland Park. Contact us and we’ll connect you.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

E-BIKE THEFT: Breck suspects his stolen Nakto Elegance will be abandoned since it requires a key. The theft was recorded on security video at 2:48 am Saturday:

This happened along Fairmount Avenue. The police report # is 22-913449.

CAR PROWLER ON WHEELS: Brianna reports, “Around 8 pm (Saturday), I saw a white Honda Civic driving down 21st Avenue SW from Trenton to Roxbury; vehicle would slow down and try each car door to see if unlocked.” Brianna says the car’s plate started with CCJ5.

Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

STREET ATTACK: According to a brief summary from Seattle Police, a person was walking in the 5000 block of California SW, south of The Junction, around 6 am Thursday, when he was attacked. The report says a person described only as male approached him, demanded money, and hit him in the jaw, then striking him with a baseball bat, knocking him out. The victim regained consciousness and walked home, then notifying authorities. SFD responded to treat him, and then he was taken to the hospital via private ambulance. The victim told police nothing was stolen because he wasn’t carrying any cash.

(added 8:41 pm) STOLEN VEHICLE: From Michael:

My nephew’s car was stolen early this morning, 9000 block 18th SW. Toyota RAV4, black with front and back bumper damage, UW Huskies special “Purple” license plate #32334B. Please call 206.406.2147 if you see it anywhere.

Also tonight, we have documents from charges filed recently in three West Seattle cases:

SCHOOL BURGLARIES: Back at the start of the year, we reported on two potentially linked school burglaries, with the suspect arrested at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and found with a stolen vehicle containing instruments suspected to have been taken in a burglary at Pathfinder K-8. The suspect was released from jail after a day and a half and is finally now charged. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 28-year-old Jeremy S. Fredrickson with second-degree burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of stolen property. The charging documents say the car, stolen in Renton a week earlier, contained “numerous band instruments having “Seattle Public Schools” stickers, power tools, axes, machetes, a bucket full of keys, and several burglary tools.” The inventory in the charging documents lists more than 20 instruments with a value totaling up to $24,000. Fredrickson, whose record included firearms convictions more than a decade ago, has been arrested twice – each time jailed for just a day – since the burglary arrest, but is not currently in custody.

HOME BURGLARY: The KCPAO charged 29-year-old Joshua I. Millar with one count of residential burglary for a break-in last week in the 5600 block of 25th SW. The charging documents say he was found in the house after tripping an alarm by entering through a window after removing its molding to gain access; neighbors held him until police arrived. Millar had two warrants at the time and has been in jail since the arrest on June 9th, with bail set at $10,000.

STOLEN CAR: The KCPAO has charged 25-year-old Jesus E. Rodriguez-Ramirez with possession of a stolen vehicle. Around 4:30 am on June 10th, police found him asleep in a stolen 2000 Ford Ranger, spray-painted black, parked along the 7100 block of Detroit SW, in what the charging documents describe as “an area well-known for the presence of stolen vehicles.” The truck had been stolen one week earlier from what prosecutors describe only as “an apartment complex south of Seattle.” They note that Rodriguez-Ramirez has a prior conviction for the same crime, and that damage to the truck’s ignition, as well as the hasty paint job, left the victim with a bill for at least $3,000. The defendant remains in jail, with bail set at $5,000.

The photo and report are from Al:

Attempted vehicle theft 48th & Graham. This morning (6/14), discovered that at some point since last Tuesday night, someone forced open the passenger-side lock (destroying it in the process) and removed the ignition housing. There are plier marks on the ignition switch but apparently they couldn’t start the vehicle. The ignition housing is gone, as is any other trace of their existence; however, all my personal items (none of value) remain untouched. The vehicle starts and runs just as if nothing happened, thank goodness, but now I’ve got to shell out some $$ to rectify that jerk’s actions!

A short police summary from the weekend noted that, at 2 pm Saturday, “officers were searching for a suspect wanted for armed carjacking and eluding police … located the man mowing his lawn outside of his home and took him into custody.” Pursuing further information, we learned that the suspect was wanted for the May 12th shot-fired carjacking incident on West Marginal Way. 28-year-old James C. French was charged three weeks ago with first-degree robbery, and that’s why police had a warrant to arrest him on Saturday.

(WSB photo, May 12th)

The charging documents say French first caught police’s attention May 12th near 40th/Dakota, as what turned out to be a stolen vehicle was being loaded onto a trailer. Police caught up with the Ford Expedition towing the trailer under the West Seattle Bridge and tried to pull it over; the driver, believed to be French, didn’t comply. Police did not pursue but shortly thereafter happened onto a collision involving the Expedition and trailer (above) and another vehicle. French and others were photographed walking away from the scene toward a nearby gas station, where French is accused of stealing another vehicle at gunpoint, firing a shot in the process. Police found that stolen vehicle near 21st and Holly. The charging documents say that’s near French’s house, though police didn’t yet know that he was the suspect. They did find his ex-girlfriend, who said the Expedition was hers and that she already knew about it because someone had shown her, the charging document says, “a photo of her crashed white Expedition on the West Seattle Blog.” The investigation continued, and within a few days, police say, the carjacking victim identified French’s photo from a montage. He was charged May 24th but did not show up for his scheduled arraignment last week, so the warrant was issued. He’s now in jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. According to court documents, he has no prior felony record.