Deceased man discovered in a West Seattle home on fire
Around 10 a.m. on Fri., May 11, King County Sheriff’s Office Civil Unit Detectives, Tac-30 (SWAT), Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) and a mental health professional grouped together and headed to a home in the 5600 block of 42nd Avenue S.W. Their plan was to serve a signed, civil eviction notice to a 52-year-old man, who was living alone at the address. Detectives had been trying to make contact with the man since early January, when the state-appointed executor of the home filed for an eviction notice, which signed by a King County Superior Court judge. Multiple letters were sent to the man. Detectives tried to find a phone number for him. They left business cards on the door at the house, spoke with neighbors and did surveillance, all in an attempt to make him aware of the eviction process. The man never made any contact or returned any of the letters. Neighbors reported that they had not seen him since December. Detectives learned that the man had a number of guns and possibly a mental health disorder. They decided to assemble a crew to establish communications with the man. They also brought along a hostage negotiator. These attempts went on for about 20 minutes with no response from the man. He did not respond, so the Tac-30 members broke a locked, glass door on a porch at the front of the house. At that time, they realized there was a large fire inside the house. The identification of the deceased man as well as the cause of death will be made by the King County medical examiner at a later time. The King County Sheriff’s Office major crimes will be conducting the death investigation with the assistance of the King County Sheriff Major Accident Response Reconstruction Team and the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Investigator. No law enforcement or fire personnel were injured during this incident.
Homicide investigation after stadium shooting
Detectives now believe that the victim in the shooting that occurred around 7 p.m. on Tues., May 8 may have been targeted. Detectives are still working to identify additional witnesses. Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact the Seattle Police Tip Line at 206.233.5000. Southwest Precinct officers responded to a report of a shooting in the parking lot outside the stadium in the 4400 block of 35th Avenue S.W. Officers arrived within minutes of the crime and discovered the victim, a man in his 40s, on the ground. He was struck several times by bullets. Officers immediately began life-saving measures until the Seattle Fire Department took over and transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center. The victim was declared deceased at the hospital.
Detectives from the Homicide Unit and Crime Scene were continuing to investigate
Trespassing leads to arrest
Officers arrived to a call about a trespassing in the 9000 block of 18th Avenue S.W. around 4:40 a.m. on Tues., May 8. When they arrived at the home, they saw a man leaving the property. He said that he was just walking by and had not been inside the house. The doors were barricaded and the house was boarded up. Officers noticed a light inside. They busted into the house and found two men and two women inside. All of the suspects were removed from the house. Officers found $700 of counterfeit money in one of the suspect’s wallet. One of the women had $100 in counterfeit money in her purse. All four suspects were transported to the SW Precinct. One suspect had a felony warrant for dangerous drugs. He was arrested and booked into King County Jail.
