White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(Photo courtesy Tim Clemans)
ORIGINAL 1:38 AM REPORT: A search is under way for someone suspected in a stabbing reported in downtown White Center. According to a radio transmission asking for Seattle Police to be on the lookout, someone was stabbed at the Locker Room Tavern on 16th SW. We don’t know the circumstances or condition, but a search is under way now (with a possible suspect spotted in West Seattle). We hope to find out more about this later in the morning, too.

8:55 AM UPDATE: According to King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates:

The stabbing was between two men who were acquaintances, and they were both intoxicated. After both were refused service in the Locker Room Tavern they were outside talking for a while when for unknown reasons the suspect stabbed the victim in the back. The suspect left on foot and a K-9 track didn’t locate him. The at-large suspect is described as a Native American male about 5’10” and 160 pounds with what is described as a mullet hairstyle. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket and (in possession of) a baseball hat. The victim was uncooperative with deputies so it’s unknown if he will= assist in prosecution. His injuries were said to be life-threatening, but I’ve had no further update on his condition since shortly after the incident.

Thanks to North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Barbara Dobkin for sharing photos from a lively Night Out gathering in NH – our apologies for delayed publication. Above, NH Fire District firefighters stopped by. Below, King County Sheriff’s Office was represented too – that’s Major Jerrell Wills in uniform:

And he wasn’t alone:

Next year, let us know if you are having a Night Out party – we would love to stop by a few, as we do on the other side of the city-county line – whitecenternow@gmail.com any time!

If you couldn’t make it to last Thursday’s June meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – NHUAC’s last meeting until September – we have video highlights. First, tonight we bring you president Barbara Dobkin‘s introduction, followed by a crime/safety briefing and Q&A with King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy BJ Myers:

Toplines of what he said: Top Hat has been a trouble spot lately, and the recent deadly shooting is just one of the notable crimes. (Though some other media outlets keep referring to the location as “White Center” or “near White Center,” yes, it was Top Hat, and Deputy Myers referred to the location that way too.) No, he said, the gun used in the killing has not been found, but suspect Drurell J. Collier is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail and will be arraigned Wednesday. He also talked about the arrest in the 24th/Roxbury rape/assault case; suspect Christopher Anthony Brown was booked into jail here, after extradition, later Thursday night. And Deputy Myers talked about gunfire damaging a car and other property along 107th – people apparently didn’t call 911 when it happened, but he urges that everything be reported. He also mentioned possible cuts for KCSO again in the next budget cycle.

Wednesday: The centerpiece of the meeting, a discussion of the North Highline Fire District‘s status and upcoming ballot measure.

One of the most unsettling crimes so far this year in White Center and vicinity has been the rape and beating of a 58-year-old woman early one morning in March. This afternoon, King County Sheriff’s Office says a suspect is in custody – found via DNA evidence:

Police in Oklahoma arrested a 25 year old male for the March rape of a female in the White Center area.

The case was solved when the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab developed a DNA profile from evidence collected at the scene which matched the male. He had apparently been visiting King County from Oklahoma when the crime was committed.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges of Rape in the 1st degree and Assault in the 1st degree. An arrest warrant was issued and law enforcement in Oklahoma arrested him yesterday.

The suspect will have to go through the extradition process before being returned to King County.

We’re working to get the charging documents to find out more.

5 PM UPDATE: The charging documents we just obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office identify the suspect as 25-year-old Christopher Anthony Brown. They say his record in Oklahoma goes back seven years and includes convictions for burglary and assault/battery on a justice/social-services system worker.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – 28-year-old Drurell J. Collier is charged with first-degree murder in the Memorial Day shooting death of 23-year-old Excalibur Scott near 2nd and Myers in Top Hat. Here’s our original report; here’s our followup, in which authorities alleged that Scott was going to “record” a fight between Collier and another man. The charging documents just made public say Scott’s phone instead recorded Collier shooting him after shouting, “You want something to film?” Collier is also charged with second-degree assault against the man he was supposed to “fight” that day, and also with burglary for breaking into a nearby home. Prosecutors requested that his $750,000 bail be raised to $2 million. More to come as we review the documents.

ADDED: Here’s the story the documents tell – As noted before, the suspect and victim were walking with people they knew. Another man came up and accused Collier of stealing from a relative of his. The two began to argue, and the group moved on to 2nd on the south side of Myers. The fourth man in the group told investigators that Collier and the other man agreed to solve the disagreement with a fight; he asked Collier to turn over the gun he knew Collier was carrying, but Collier refused. Excalibur Scott pulled out his cell phone to get the fight on video. The fourth man said he was walking away when he heard a gunshot and saw Scott fall to the ground, then saw Collier run away, with the other man chasing him. When deputies arrived, they were told of someone matching Collier’s description running through their yards. They found him a few blocks away in what turned out to be his parents’ home.

A witness to the shooting identified him, and they arrested him, finding seven .22 caliber bullets in one of his pockets; Collier’s parents told deputies a .22-caliber Derringer handgun had disappeared from their home a week earlier, and that they suspected their son of taking it.
Later, investigators discovered that Collier had gone to his brother’s home in the same area just before going to his parents’ home, and had changed his clothes there, leaving behind another pair of pants, this one with two .22-caliber bullets in a pocket.

And they found that a nearby house had been broken into, with a custom-designed sweatshirt missing – one found on Collier when he was arrested.

More to come …

(WCN photo from Monday)
The man arrested in connection with Monday’s deadly shooting in Top Hat remains jailed after a hearing today, and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office has made the victim’s name public: Excalibur Scott, 23 years old.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the 28-year-old suspect did not appear at today’s hearing in a jailhouse courtroom, but the judge ruled there is probable cause to hold him on suspicion of second-degree murder. According to documents presented in the case, based on police reports, the suspect was walking with Scott and another man when the suspect “became involved in an argument with a fourth male … over an alleged theft or burglary. (The suspect and the fourth man) agreed to fight over the allegation and (victim Scott) was to have reportedly recorded this fight.” Before it began, the suspect was said to be in possession of a .22 caliber chrome Derringer handgun. During the fight, the documents say, Scott was shot in the chest and died at the scene. The suspect ran off and was arrested nearby. The investigation continues; a bail hearing for the suspect is set for tomorrow. Records do not show any felony convictions for him in this state, but he spent a day in jail last month related to a warrant for failing to appear in connection with an obstruction-of-justice case from last fall.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Bail for the suspect is now set at $750,000. We should find out about charges on Thursday.

(WCN photos by Patrick Sand)
5:24 PM: A homicide investigation is under way in the 10700 block of Myers Way S. (map) in Top Hat, east of White Center. Discussion monitored via scanner earlier indicated that a shooting suspect was taken into custody in the 10800 block of 8th S. That’s all we know so far, but the King County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates is en route and our crew should have more information soon.

5:57 PM UPDATE: Sgt. Gates told media at the scene that the suspect and victim, both in their 20s, both live in the area where the shooting happened and had been in a dispute over some kind of “property.” They are still questioning the suspect; the shooting happened outdoors and the victim’s body has not yet been removed from the scene.

7:14 PM: Added video of the full briefing by Sgt. Gates (above).

The King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One was back in the general White Center area again earlier this afternoon, and we’ve just confirmed details of what was going on: According to KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates, deputies briefly pursued a car that had been stolen near Mount View Elementary, in the 12th/108th vicinity. The suspected thief abandoned the car – a Honda CR-V – and ran; he was arrested in the vicinity of SW 98th and 15th SW.

We got a question about King County Sheriff’s Office activity in the 6th/106th area. Just checked and we’ve learned it was a search for burglar(s) in the neighborhood. Though a K-9 team and helicopter joined the search, no arrests, and some of the units are starting to leave. We’re also seeing via Facebook that Cascade Middle School was in a modified lockdown for a little while earlier this afternoon, and believe that was the same incident.

First of two reports with video from Thursday night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting: Beefy briefing from KCSO Deputy BJ Myers. As he noted, three crimes in the White Center area made news since last month’s meeting, and he had updates on all three, as well some time to answer questions from those in attendance.

Two of the three cases have led to arrests – the shooting death of Ruben Castillo (though the suspect remains charged only with two gun crimes, not with the actual killing) and the corn-stand armed robbery that was followed by a Guardian One search. The third, the rape/beating along Roxbury, remains unsolved, but deputies continue searching; Myers said they believe the person they’re looking for goes by “Antoine.”

He also talked about a new “diversion” program about to be kicked off to get help for “low-level drug and prostitution offenders” in hopes they will break the re-offending cycle.

On Saturday, we’ll publish video from the main event of the night’s forum, taking on the topic of equity.

18-year-old Charles Moimoi, suspected of firing the shot that killed 17-year-old Ruben Castillo Jr. in White Center a week ago, is now charged with two gun crimes – but not charged, so far, in connection with the killing. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says Moimoi is charged with two counts of unlawful firearm possession – having been convicted of burglary, he’s a felon, and not allowed to possess a gun. His bail is now half a million dollars and he’s scheduled for arraignment on April 9th; the homicide case, Donohoe says, remains under “ongoing investigation.” Court documents reaffirm what we reported on Monday – that he confessed to firing the shot that killed Ruben Castillo – and include other details we’ll add to this report.

ADDED: Court documents say Moimoi was found with a gun in his backpack when arrested two days after the shooting, “similar or the same” to the one fired at the car in which Castillo was riding, killing him, loaded with the same brand of ammunition as casings found at the scene. The day after the shooting, he failed to show up for a court hearing in connection with a burglary case in which he is charged. He also is charged in an attempted burglary, according to court documents, in which he led police on a high-speed chase they “terminated because it became unsafe.” That’s just part of his record, prosecutors say, and it’s their reasoning for requesting the half-million-dollar bail.

King County Sheriff’s Office detectives hope that new sketch will help them find the man who beat and raped a woman just west of White Center, at 26th and Roxbury, on March 7th. Here is the latest from detectives:

On Friday, March 7th, just after midnight the victim was walking eastbound on the south side of Roxbury near 24th Ave. She was approached by a black male who asked her for a cigarette. The victim gave the man a cigarette when he suddenly dragged her to a nearby lot where he punched her repeatedly then sexually assaulted her.

After the assault the man fled, taking the victim’s purse with him. The purse was never located and may have been discarded nearby or possibly given to an associate of the suspect. The purse is very distinctive:

The attacker was described as a younger black male, early 20’s, about 5’9″, medium build, wearing a dark-colored hoodie and jeans. The suspect may have injuries to his hands due to the violent assault on the victim.

If you have information about this man or the missing purse, please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours). You can also be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

A judge has set bail at $1 million for the 18-year-old SeaTac man arrested Friday in connection with the Wednesday night shooting at 15th/Roxbury that killed 17-year-old Ruben Castillo of Burien. His bail hearing was Saturday; today, we received documents with a bit more information about what hapepned.

The time was listed as 9:51 pm last Wednesday. The victim was in the back seat of a Honda Accord with friends. They stopped at the Roxbury Texaco station. While fueling up, the driver noticed “a group of males” at a bus stop east of the gas station. “The males were looking at him and he commented to his friends in the car, including (the victim).” The report does not say what was “commented,” but goes on to say, the driver got back into the car and drove out, northbound on 15th and then east on Roxbury, “with intent to go to Alki.”

As the car passed the suspect at the bus stop, the suspect, the report says, “pulled a 9mm pistol from his back pocket, loaded a magazine, and fired three rounds at the vehicle as it drove away eastbound. One round passed through the tail light and trunk and through the seat back of the passenger-side back seat, and into (the victim’s) back.” Mr. Castillo realized he had been shot, and “began to scream”; his friend drove to the North Highline Fire District station, a mile or so away, “where medical aid was rendered” until the victim was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where, the report says, he died in surgery. The report says the suspect admitted he “had the gun and fired the shot” that proved deadly; it also mentions the burglary case we noted in our story on the arrest, and a $25,000 warrant related to it, and the attached police report notes his tattoos, one of which is a well-known regional gang name. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has until Wednesday to file charges.

(Wednesday night WCN photo)
10:30 PM: Just in from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

At about 3:40 P.M. on March 21st, King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detectives arrested an 18-year-old Seatac man in connection with the shooting death of a 17 year old in White Center on March 19, 2014. The detectives are not seeking any other suspects; however, they are encouraging additional witnesses of the shooting to come forward and contact the King County Sheriff’s Office by calling (206) 296-3311.

ADDED 11:20 PM: Court and jail records show the suspect spent five days in the King County Jail last December for investigation of burglary; it appears burglary charges were filed last month. We won’t be able to get details of that case until tomorrow, as the online court records are offline for several hours this time each night.

ADDED 9:04 AM SATURDAY: Court records are available now, and they show the suspect was awaiting trial after being charged in February with an October burglary in the 12200 block of 14th S. in Burien. The court documents say his prints were found at the scene, and that he had a record with a burglary charge while he was still a juvenile (he turned 18 last July), as well as a pending theft case from earlier this year.

Friends of the 17-year-old Burien boy shot and killed in White Center last night gathered tonight to remember him.

He was hit and killed by a bullet fired at the back of the car in which he was riding, according to investigators. No word of an arrest yet. Crimestoppers is offering a reward – reach them at 800-222-TIPS.

11:13 PM: We’re checking on the investigation that has SW Roxbury closed around 15th SW, according to a reader tip. King County Sheriff’s deputies are on the scene along with other law enforcers. Seattle Police had been investigating a report of shots fired on the city side an hour or so but there was no word of a victim. More as we get it.

11:29 PM: KING 5 reports one person was shot and is at Harborview.

12:13 AM: Just back from the scene. Roxbury is closed between 14th and 15th; deputies are in the street, looking for evidence. They confirm one person was shot.

No other official information so far.

5:48 AM: KING is now reporting that a 17-year-old boy was killed.

7:10 AM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West confirms this, saying that so far, it appears there was “some type of verbal altercation between a group of pedestrians and a group of males in a vehicle near Bartell’s at 15th/Roxbury. The suspect was with the group on foot. He fired rounds at the vehicle as it drove away. One round went through the car and struck a rear passenger. This 17 year-old victim later died at Harborview.”

11:11 AM: The full news release from KCSO:

A 17 year old Burien teen was shot and killed last night in White Center.

Police responded to the North Highline Fire Station in the 1200 block of SW 112th last night just after 10pm to a report of a teen shot in the back. When police arrived they learned that the victim and 3 others had been getting gas at a station near SW Roxbury and 15 Ave SW when they exchanged words with a group at a nearby bus stop.

As the group drove by the men near the bus stop one of the men opened fire, striking the vehicle and hitting the victim, who was seated in the rear passenger seat. The driver of the vehicle drove to the fire station to seek aid for the injured teen.

The victim, a Burien resident, was transported to Harborview Hospital where he died from his injuries. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6′, and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie.

If you have information about this crime please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or you may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-(800) 222-TIPS (8477)

Charmaine hopes you will be on the lookout for her stolen car, taken from outside her home near 4th SW and SW 106th:

My ’93 Honda Accord, beige in color, with license plate AGX7274 was stolen from my driveway in front of my house sometime between 12:30 AM and 3 PM (Tuesday).

Call 911 if you see it.

(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

In the blue cap and gown is Michael Delfin-Rodriguez, celebrating his graduation from New Start High School on the Evergreen campus, with his dad Sergio. Michael is the young man shot and killed the day before Thanksgiving, at 2nd SW and SW 108th, while he and his brother Saul were out for an early-early-morning walk to a store. This morning, members of Michael’s family were at the King County Sheriff’s Office headquarters downtown, meeting the media to make a public plea for help in finding his killer. Saul spoke for the family today:

Investigators have called this a case of mistaken identity – Michael and Saul were confronted by two people, believed to be teenage boys, who accused them of being members of a gang; they denied it, kept moving, then one of those boys pulled out a gun and fired, killing Michael. (added) Here’s video from the news conference:

If anyone saw anything or has heard any talk about it, there’s a Crime Stoppers reward in the case, and investigators are eager to hear from anyone with information that might help solve the murder. Crime Stoppers has multiple ways to report tips, including anonymously, or call KCSO at 206-296-3311.

4:50 PM: An update from KCSO on this morning’s deadly shooting:

The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting and killing of a man in the White Center area … and is asking for the public’s help.

On 11/27/13 at about 2:15 AM, deputies were dispatched to the area of SW 108 St and 2nd Ave SW after a caller reported hearing at least one gunshot and said there was a man down in the middle of the street. Deputies arrived at the scene to find a young adult male lying in the street suffering from at least one gunshot wound. They attempted life-saving measures but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Sergeant Tony McNabb said, “Two young men were walking along SW 108 St. minding their own business when they were confronted by the two suspects. The suspects accused the innocent victim and his friend of being in a rival gang to which they both denied. As the victim and his friend began walking away, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and began firing at the two, hitting and killing one of them.”

Deputy Charlie Akers is asking for the public to “Put themselves in the shoes of this innocent young man’s family. As we are entering the holiday season, this family is grieving the senseless loss of this young man. If this was one of your loved ones, you would want answers, you would want justice. A young man has lost his life because he was mistaken to be in a gang.”. Deputy Akers added a message to the suspects: “You took the life of an innocent young man for no reason; turn yourself in.”

If you know anything about this senseless crime, please call 206-296-3311.

Earlier versions of the story are below:

Read the rest of this entry »

Out of the WCN inbox, from Erin:

Just wanted to let folks know our house was broken into in the 11000 block of 22nd Ave SW (map) between the hours of 10-11 am (Tuesday). Garbage trucks probably rolled by while it was in progress; we’ve put in a call to see if they saw anything. Thief took a crowbar to a basement window; I’d like to just take a moment to remind everyone to put dowels in any sliding windows and keep a list of serial numbers…they were obviously looking for stuff that could be easily carried away and pawned.