West Seattle, Washington
26 Saturday
(WSB photo, Alki, early Sunday)
At a jailhouse-court hearing this afternoon, bail was set at $400,000 for the 21-year-old suspect in last Sunday morning’s Alki Beach shooting, and new details emerged. According to the full police narrative in the probable-cause documentation, the man found with non-gunshot injuries at the scene turned out to be the shooting suspect, and the person who showed up at a Federal Way hospital (as mentioned in our original report) was indeed a second shooting victim.
Here’s the story the narrative tells:
(WSB photo: Defendants in red, left and right)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:46 PM: Just ordered by King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson: 25 years in prison each for Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo in the murder of 25-year-old Edixon Velasquez outside his Westwood home in 2017, “a completely senseless act,” as prosecutor Wyman Yip described the deadly shooting. A full courtroom was there for the hour-and-a-half-long hearing, two months after the verdict that both were guilty of first-degree murder (WSB coverage here). In the emotional hearing, the judge heard from people including the victim’s longtime foster mother as well as the mothers and pastors of both defendants, who also spoke for themselves.
Defense lawyers had requested 15-year sentences, a little more than half what prosecutors asked for; neither defendant had a record. Judge Richardson noted neither expressed remorse, and while both had “terrible upbringings,” she noted, so did the victim, “and he managed to overcome that.” Still, what she ordered was at the low end of the Legislature-defined “standard range” – 20 years, plus 5 more that are required because the crime involved a gun. Kasparova is 23; Linares-Montejo is 21. Details after we get back to HQ.
ADDED 6:55 PM: Our video of the entire hearing:
Ahead, the rest of our report on how it unfolded:
(WSB photo, Wednesday)
Just got the documents from the bail hearing for the 38-year-old woman arrested after the Wednesday shoplift-turned-robbery that injured an employee at West Seattle Optix in The Junction, hit by broken glass when she kicked out a window, trying to get away. Court documents say she has “an extensive arrest record with at least 6 (failure-to-appear warrants),” including the current one for another shoplift-turned-violent three years ago, so prosecutors requested that bail be set at $80,000. But Judge Marcine Anderson set her bail at $10,000. The court documents also reveal one thing we hadn’t heard when we covered this incident Wednesday: West Seattle Optix told police the same woman tried to steal from them last Saturday, but left after being confronted. Her next hearing is set for Monday afternoon.
(WSB photo, Sunday)
10:30 AM: Seattle Police have arrested a suspect in last Sunday morning’s Alki Beach shooting. Gang Unit detectives arrested the 21-year-old suspect in Snohomish County on Wednesday, according to this morning’s announcement, which says he was booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault. The shooting early Sunday sent a 21-year-old man to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Another man, who tried to help the victim after what was described as a robbery attempt, also was taken to the hospital with other injuries. We’ll update when we find out more about the suspect.
12:14 PM: Looks like the suspect’s bail hearing won’t be until tomorrow. He does not appear to have a felony record, at least according to what public records are showing so far.
New information tonight in one of the ongoing criminal cases we updated in this Sunday night story: 48-year-old Michael J. Mullen is out of jail tonight, after his bail was halved to $25,000. Mullen had been in jail for three and a half months, after police arrested him for allegedly threatening his roommate. That case was dismissed but he stayed in jail because of the original case that brought him to public attention last June, involving a “heavily altered” shotgun he allegedly brandished in a Junction alley. Since the October arrest, he’s gone through an evaluation that led to him being ruled competent to stand trial. As part of his conditions for release on bail, he’s under orders to stay away from guns. His trial-readiness hearing is set for March 6th.
(WSB photos)
ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: One woman was arrested after what police described as a robbery attempt that left an employee injured at West Seattle Optix in The Junction this afternoon. Police say the woman tried to grab merchandise from the shop and broke a window in an attempt to escape.
One employee suffered minor injuries from the broken glass. Police arrested a suspect and were taking her to the King County Jail.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The suspect is 38 years old. In addition to this, she’s being held on a misdemeanor warrant issued two years ago after she failed to appear for a hearing in another shoplift-turned-violent case, not in West Seattle. That case, initiated n 2017, was her most-recent arrest, according to public records. She’ll likely have a bail hearing today and we’ll update when we have that information.
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: The suspect remains in jail. We won’t have access to documents from the hearing until tomorrow, so look for a followup then.
From Kristin:
Our car was broken into some time Tuesday night/Wednesday morning between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am. We were parked in front of the Salvation Army White Center Corps on 16th Ave between Henderson & Barton. Our passenger-side window was smashed and a backpack was stolen containing various electronics worth over $400.
The photo and report are just in from Reese: “We had our U-Haul, with our car attached, stolen this morning. Possibly around 3 am. It was parked at Willow St. and 35th Ave SW. Black Kia Forte, California License Plate 7TUN117; 15-foot U-Haul, Arizona License Plate AH01818.” If you see either, call 911.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes as the week gets going:
BACKYARD SURPRISE: From the “likely stolen/dumped” file, reported by Terry:
Found Sunday, in our Admiral District backyard (!): a gray, plastic, Plano-brand storage container. If it’s yours, call 206-932-8051, identify the contents, and it’s yours again.
CAR PROWL: Clayton reports, “In case anyone else had a car broken into (like we did) in the vicinity of 38th and Hinds. We caught the thief on our Nest Cam, though the video isn’t good enough to see his face. It looks like he was just walking up the street checking doors, and somehow got into our other vehicle, which was parked further up on the street.”
Quick updates on four of the many cases we’re continuing to watch but haven’t updated in a while:
MURDER SENTENCING: Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo, found guilty two months ago in the 2017 murder of Edixon Velasquez, are scheduled for sentencing this Friday (February 7), 1 pm, before King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson.
ATTEMPTED-BURGLARY-WITH-KNIFE SUSPECT: This Friday is also the next date for Gabriel Putnam, who you might remember as the suspected would-be burglar shown on porch video with a large knife. He subsequently skipped a court appearance; a warrant was issued, and he was arrested in October in Idaho and extradited back here. He’s been in the King County Jail ever since, in lieu of $25,000 bail; on Friday, a trial-readiness hearing (aka omnibus) is scheduled.
SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN SUSPECT: Michael Mullen, originally arrested for an incident last June in a Junction alley in which he was found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, has been back in jail since mid-October. He was recently found competent to stand trial and has a bail hearing tomorrow afternoon.
FORMER COACH PLEA BARGAIN? Court documents indicate a plea hearing is tentatively scheduled Wednesday for Michael Gutierrez, the former West Seattle High School JV-girls basketball coach charged with inappropriate sexual communication with two players. No details, though, of the potential plea agreement or recommended sentence.
(Added: WSB photos)
2:48 AM: Thanks for the texts. SFD is at 58th/Alki on a “scenes of violence” call, and texters say they heard shots – we’re working to find out more.
2:52 AM: Via emergency radio, we’ve heard that one patient has been taken to the hospital.
3:01 AM: SFD is also being called in to treat someone who’s been “punched in the head.” Meantime, the main incident is being described as a “shots call.” Our crew should be there shortly to try to find out more.
3:21 AM: At the scene, our crew says casing markers are visible on the water side of Alki Avenue, across from the Wheel Fun Rentals lot, in the grass and on the path. We haven’t yet been able to talk to police to find out more about the patient taken to the hospital.
3:28 AM: Dispatcher has just reported that another gunshot victim, possibly related to this, has just shown up at a hospital in Federal Way.
3:52 AM: Just talked with a lieutenant at the scene. He says they’re still trying to piece together what happened, but he confirmed that the person taken to the hospital was shot. No one reported in custody so far. They’ll be clearing out of the scene soon.
4:23 AM: Added more photos. Still awaiting info on the condition of the victim taken to Harborview, and the status of the investigation, so we’ll be updating this story later this morning. Meantime, our archives indicate this is the first time a person has been shot on Alki since the still-unsolved shooting that killed 23-year-old Jordan Thomas in 2017.
9:14 AM: Just in via SPD Blotter:
Detectives are investigating after a 21-year-old man was shot and injured in the Alki neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Police were dispatched to reports of someone shot in the 2600 block of Alki Avenue Southwest. Officers spoke with witnesses who stated the victim was sitting at one of the fire pits when he was approached by a group of unidentified men. The witnesses said there was some type of fight disturbance and then shots were fired. They said the group scattered leaving behind the victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the head.
Seattle Fire Department Medics took the victim to Harborview Medical Center for further treatment.
Gang unit detectives are now investigating and are asking anyone with information to please call the tip line at 206-233-5000.
MONDAY NOTE: We’re still trying to get the full report; SPD told us it’s not releasable yet. No arrests; the investigation remains active. What additional information we received today clarified that robbery was the apparent motive; from SPD, “It appears two victims were at Alki beach having a bonfire. While walking back to get the car, one victim was confronted by a group of four. At one point, someone said ‘what do you have in your pockets?’ The victim said a cell phone and wallet. At that point the group of four began assaulting the first victim. The second victim arrived and jumped in to assist in the fight. A moment later gunshots sounded and one of the two victims was stuck by gunfire. Both victims were transported to HMC, one for the gunshot wound and one for the injuries from the assault.” No description of the attackers, nor is there any more information about whether the gunshot victim who turned up in Federal Way was related to this.
From Emily:
Our car was “broken” into sometime Friday night/Saturday morning between midnight and 10 AM on 47th Ave between Hudson and Dawson. I put the word broken in quotation marks because there were no signs of forced entry and I can’t be 100% sure I didn’t accidentally leave the car unlocked. The contents of the glove compartment and the center console were strewn about the front seats, but nothing appeared to be missing. We’re happy no windows were smashed, but a good reminder to be mindful of what we leave in the car.
A Fairmount Park Elementary parent forwarded a letter sent to families today by principal Julie Breidenbach. The parent noted, “Because there is a community park adjacent, this should probably (get( community-level attention.” Here’s the letter:
Dear Fairmount Park Parents,
I want to share information about an incident in our neighborhood. This morning before school, one of our students reported to her parent that an adult tried to lure her into his private vehicle. The child ran home and the parent did call the police. The parent reports that the adult male was in a silver pickup truck. Our school district security has been in that neighborhood several times today and will be watching that bus stop closely this afternoon and in upcoming days.
The safety of our students is a top priority. You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Having these conversations, especially with younger children, can be difficult. We encourage you to be sensitive to your child.
As a precaution, we are reminding our students this afternoon about safety tips for walking to and from school. We would appreciate your help by having a similar conversation at home. The walking safety advice includes:
GENERAL SAFETY TIPS:
Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot.”
Walk with a purpose; project an assertive, business-like image.
Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages and alleyways.
Stick to well-lit areas.
Develop a plan before you see trouble. Crossing a street or entering a store may get you out of a potentially bad situation.
If a car follows you or beckons you while you are walking, do not approach it. Instead, turn and quickly walk the opposite direction.
Consider wearing clothing and shoes that you can move freely and quickly in, especially when walking or waiting for the bus.
Carry minimal items; overloading yourself can make you appear vulnerable.
Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Avoid shortcuts. Walk confidently. Scan your surroundings and make eye contact with people.
We’re checking to see if police have any further information about the incident.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed eight felony charges against the West Seattle man whose arrest followed warrant searches that found drugs, guns, and cash. 40-year-old David Vasquez is charged with six counts of drug violations plus one count of money laundering and one count of unlawful gun possession. The police narrative accompanying the charging documents is 11 pages long and tells a tale of a months-long investigation, prefaced by this case summary from prosecutors:
The impetus for investigating the defendant in this case arose from the overdose of a three-month-old baby. This overdose was the result of fentanyl, the product the defendant was knowingly selling under the guise of M30 oxycodone pills.
The police narrative explains that the baby died almost a year ago in Southeast Seattle, apparently ingesting the fentanyl through breast milk. Eight months later, the death was ruled a homicide.
The baby was not related to Vasquez. But when police searched the parents’ home, the charging documents say, they found drugs and paraphernalia. The investigation led police to their alleged drug dealer, who they addressed as “Benny” but who police say was Vasquez.
Once police identified “Benny” as Vasquez, the narrative says, an undercover invetigation began. It included multiple drug buys, by undercover officers, at multiple locations in and outside of West Seattle. Factoring into that part of the narrative is an incident covered here – police gunfire behind the Admiral Pub on October 24th. The narrative doesn’t go deeply into detail, aside from detailing an undercover buy at the pub that night, then saying “There was a disturbance at the rear of the bar not long after this narcotics transaction involving Vasquez and several others. He was observed staggering through the pub from the back door,” then leaving with another man through the front door, departing in that man’s pickup truck.
Subsequent buy locations detailed in the narrative included the Admiral Safeway parking lot, the Metropolitan Market parking lot, and the Ballroom Lounge in north Seattle. Police wrote that their surveillance also followed Vasquez to Life Storage in Luna Park and an apartment he had rented at The Whittaker in The Junction, though he also had a house near 41st/Hinds. The Whittaker is where police say they arrested him just before 3 pm last Friday. Meantime, police say the money-laundering investigation revealed that the suspect had started an LLC through which he processed tens of thousands of dollars and used some of it to pay his rent. As for the gun charge, police say he had a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun at the time of his arrest, illegal for him to possess because he has a felony conviction, attempted burglary, in 1997. Other convictions listed in charging documents are also from the ’90s, when he was a teenager, including two cases of taking a motor vehicle without permission.
Prosecutors asked that his original $100,000 bail, on which he posted bond and was released last weekend, be raised to $250,000, and that request was granted. Vasquez is due back in court February 10th for arraignment.
From Anne:
Wanted to report and share with the WSB that our car was stolen out of our driveway last Friday 1/24 between 2-5 am. Our driveway is on SW College Street in between California and 44th Ave. Our car is similar to the attached image: forest green 1997 Honda CR-V license plate #AHB6541. The vehicle did not have much gas so assuming it was ditched somewhere in West Seattle. Only thing really worth of value in the car were two 5-point harness car-seats in the back seat. We filed a police report. Sadly this occurrence seems more common then not but hopefully our car is just parked on a side street waiting for us to find it.
Call 911 if you see it.
Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
BUSINESS BURGLARS ON CAMERA: The images above and below are from a burglary this morning at Admiral Pub. (For those who tipped us to a big police response in the Admiral District, this is what it was about.)
The images are from the Admiral Pub’s owners, who tell us nothing was taken, but: “In the process of breaking into the bar, they busted a pipe.” That led to an SFD “water job” response. “Officer told us there have been multiple business break-ins in the area. They went in, saw our cameras and left. To all local businesses, be on the lookout.”
HOME BURGLARY: From Sue:
We’re so sad to report that our house was broken into at 2:30 PM (Tuesday). We think that our backyard shed was the initial target, since these guys broke the door of the shed first and likely moved towards our house.
They threw in a rock to break into our window and opened it to gain access. Luckily, we are safe and we spoke with the cops and filed a police report.
The thieves took a Samsung laptop with them, an empty Fossil purse, tools, and rifled through our documents… Though unlikely, we hope they get caught!
The SPD report # is 20-34163.
STOLEN SUBARU: Stephanie‘s Subaru was stolen in the Alki area, with this distinctive hood art:
1995 Subaru, 4-inch lift, plate BRG7668. If you see it, call 911.
The photo and report are from Anne:
Our family member’s truck was stolen across the street from our house today between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on the 3900 block of Barton Street.
It’s a 2008 Silver Ford Ranger Truck; license is CO7307P. Police incident # is 2020-34392.
Call 911 if you see it.
When residents near 41st/Hinds texted about plain-clothes police activity last Friday afternoon, all we could find out was, warrant service. But now we know more. The report and photo are from SPD Blotter:
SPD Narcotics seized fentanyl pills, cocaine, xanax, methamphetamine, and cash while serving warrants last Friday in connection with an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in West Seattle.
Officers from the South Precinct’s Anti-Crime team arrested the 40-year-old suspect in a West Seattle parking garage and found he was carrying 62 fentanyl pills, 28 grams of cocaine, and a small number of xanax pills, as well as a handgun.
Narcotics detectives and the West and South Precinct’s Anti-Crime Teams then served warrants at two homes and a storage unit – in the 4700 block of 40th Avenue SW and the 3400 block of 41st Avenue SW – and recovered a .22 rifle, documents pertaining to money laundering, and additional narcotics, including 140 fentanyl pills, 10 grams of cocaine, 20 xanax pills, a small amount of meth and over $4,000 cash.
Investigators booked the suspect into the King County Jail for narcotics delivery and money laundering.
We’ll add anything more we find out about the suspect and his status.
From Pat:
My maroon (red) 1988 Honda Accord 4-door sedan (WA Collectors Vehicle License Plate 4079A) was stolen this morning from in front of our house in the 2700 block of 48th Ave SW. The car was locked and had a steering wheel club lock in place, but I guess the thief was skilled. Anyway, the car has been reported as stolen to the SPD and they took a report this morning (Incident 2020-032350).
If you see it, call 911.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
BURGLARY ON VIDEO: That video is from inside Steve‘s home in the 9000 block of 35th SW, after burglars broke a window to get in around 5 pm January 17th. Some items were stolen, says Steve, who adds that the SPD case # is 2020-020431.
MAIL THEFT/VANDALISM: The report and photo are from Parker near Delridge/Juneau:
(Wednesday) morning my wife found that our locked mailbox, along with all the others in the cluster, had been broken open and emptied of their contents. We have no idea who did it but I wanted to tip you off to keep an eye out for what might be a larger problem in West Seattle. I can only speculate about what they were targeting but people are receiving their W-2s this time of year. It may be the first step of an identity theft operation.
If mail theft happens to you, in addition to reporting it to police, be sure also to file a report with the Postal Inspection Service.
Just in from Cinthia:
My car was stolen between the late evening of January 22nd and early morning of January 23rd. 2014 Chevy Cruze. Dark gray with black interior (no tinted windows). Washington plate AYS6208. It was taken from the 8500 block of 16th Ave SW. Police incident number 20-27059. If you see it, please call 911.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 25-year-old Solomon D. Whitt with first-degree murder in the death of his roommate, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jana Layman. As reported by Seattle Police yesterday, Ms. Layman died January 13th, three days after she was taken to the hospital after Whitt claimed she had fallen down the stairs in the Junction home where he lived with her and her two children. He was arrested six days later. The charging documents say he attacked her after she asked him to move out. Prosecutors say Whitt has no criminal history but asked that his bail remain at $2 million because of “the danger he presents to our community.” He remains in jail awaiting arraignment. The charging documents say the defendant and victim met while working in a youth-sports program, and that he moved in a little over a year ago to help with her children. A commenter following our Wednesday report says donations are being accepted via this church website – choose “Jana’s Family Care Fund.”
Here are the toplines from the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s first meeting since October:
CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct crime overall was down almost five percent in 2019 from 2018, said the precinct’s operations commander, Lt. Steve Strand. They’re hoping to repeat that in 2020. Lt. Strand stressed the importance of reporting all crime so they know what’s happening and where to focus patrols. (If it’s happening now, call 911; if not, most crimes can be reported online – go here.)
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