White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Two weeks after a 21-year-old man was shot and killed on a Metro bus at 15th/Roxbury, the King County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 17-year-old suspect and is releasing photos, asking for your help in finding him:

King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Major Crimes Detectives are seeking the community’s help in locating the suspect of a homicide in White Center on October 3rd.

17-year-old Miguel Rivera Dominguez (pictured) has been identified as the suspect who fatally shot Marcel Da’jon Wagner, 21, on a Metro Bus earlier this month.

Rivera Dominguez has strong ties to the Burien area and is known to use public transportation or seek rides from others. It’s likely he will be wearing a mask to conceal his face while in public. Rivera Dominguez is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.

Anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts can submit a tip by calling (206) 263-2090, via email at mcutips@kingcounty.gov, or anonymously via the P3Tips app. If located, call 911 immediately.

We asked KCSO for any additional descriptive information. They tell us he is 6′ tall, 170 pounds.

According to a bulletin broadcast by Seattle Police (though it’s a King County Sheriff’s Office case), the mini-mart at 15th/Roxbury was hit by a strong-arm robbery a short time ago, and the clerk needed medical attention after being punched in the face by one of the robbers. We don’t know whether this was a shoplift-turned-robbery (which would be defined as such by the use of violence) or a holdup. Five suspects described only as being in their teens and 20s got away in a “blue sedan”; a car of similar description took off after a hit-run crash shortly thereafter at 17th/Roxbury.

(WCN photo, Monday: Memorial for bus-shooting victim)

“M.W.” are the initials spelled out at the memorial along 15th SW for the man shot to death aboard a Metro bus there one week ago tonight. When we photographed the memorial yesterday, we didn’t know what the initials stood for – but tonight we do. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the victim as 21-year-old Marcell D. Wagner, who died from “multiple gunshot wounds.” Still no word of an arrest; we’ll be checking again with the King County Sheriff’s Office tomorrow.

(Added: WSB photo)

5:52 PM: A man is reported to have been killed in a shooting on a Metro bus on 15th SW just south of Roxbury. Seattle Police were the first on the scene so our coverage launched on partner site West Seattle Blog, but it’s in King County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, so they’re taking over the investigation. It was reported around 5:10 pm. The victim was described as “around 30 years old.” We haven’t heard anything else about exact circumstances; the bus was a RapidRide H Line headed for Westwood Village, our photo shows. Conflicting descriptions of the shooter have been broadcast so we don’t have anything for sure right now. If you’ve seen/heard a helicopter, that’s the shared TV chopper, not Guardian One. We’ll add anything more we find out; 15th SW is closed near the scene while the investigation continues.

6 PM: Now Guardian One is also over the scene.

10:08 PM: Here’s the KCSO news release, for the record (though it doesn’t say anything we haven’t already reported:

This evening (October 3rd) at approximately 5:10 pm, deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to the vicinity of SW Roxbury ST and 15th Ave SW for reports of a shooting that occurred on a Metro bus. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a single victim, who was unfortunately pronounced deceased at the scene.

Multiple specialized units, including Guardian 1 aerial support and a K9 Unit, responded to conduct a thorough search for the individuals involved. As of this moment, the search operation has concluded, and the suspect(s) in question remain at large.

The King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit will be investigating.

11:20 PM: 15th has reopened, per a Metro advisory.

Thanks to Zac for the tip and photo.

Zac noticed last night that the Mr. O.G. cannabis store at 9823 15th SW had the telltale boarded-up front. We checked with the King County Sheriff’s Office this morning. They say a vehicle was used to break into the shop early Monday and the burglars left the vehicle (no description given) behind.

That security-camera image is from a theft in which Drew says he lost $10,000 worth of guitars and bicycles. It happened in his storage unit at 125 SW 112th and he’s hoping someone might spot some of the items. Here’s a full list – with more photos – of what was stolen, including contact info for Drew and for investigators, if you have any information.

Two overnight incidents: Just after 1 am, a man was found at Steve Cox Memorial Park with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center. King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Cory Stanton says the Major Crimes Unit is investigating. Meantime, we also asked about an incident on the North Highline Fire incident log suggesting a possible gunfire-related incident around 12:30 am near Roxbury Lanes. Capt. Stanton tells WCN, “Witnesses reported someone was seen shooting into the air. There are no reported injuries at this time. A suspect was located and booked into KCJ.”

A White Center store was held up this afternoon and an intensive search ensued for the robbers. We’ve been covering all this in real time on partner site West Seattle Blog because it came to our attention with the search centered on the city side of the line, but we eventually learned it had started with a White Center robbery: The Top to Bottom clothing store, 9651 15th SW, was robbed around 1:30 pm. KCSO says four people with guns were involved and got away with about $500 in merchandise. No injuries. Some of the stolen clothing was recovered in the West Seattle neighborhood a few blocks north where officers, deputies, and the Guardian One helicopter were searching for a while. Two possible suspects were detained but released for lack of evidence; this past half-hour, at least one other person was detained for questioning in White Center, but we don’t know yet how that worked out.

9:58 AM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are getting assistance from Seattle Police in what’s basically a parking lot standoff just south of (corrected) Bartell Drugs at 15th/Roxbury. They told us at the scene that a man who’s in a parked vehicle was making threats toward passers-by and may be armed, so they’ve closed off 15th south of Roxbury. No other info so far; avoid the area.

10:01 AM: They’re reopening 15th, but 14th will be blocked south of Roxbury.

10:15 AM: Via Twitter, KCSO describes the suspect as experiencing a “mental-health crisis.”

12:29 PM: We’re back in the area to check. The lot is still taped off, with many police vehicles. 14th SW has reopened, so this situation is now confined to the parking lot.

3:59 PM: The person has been taken into custody since our last check in the area.

(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

(WCN photo from April 2021 crash scene)

A South Delridge woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide in the April 2021 crash (WCN coverage here) that killed an Arbor Heights couple in North Burien. Court documents say Irene Plancarte-Bustos, now 28, was driving drunk, going over 60 mph, with her 3-yeqr-old son in her car, when she slammed into the car carrying 35-year-old Lauren Dupuis-Perez and 38-year-old Kamel Dupuis-Perez. The impact pushed their car into the path of a pickup truck whose driver couldn’t stop before also hitting it, and orphaned the Dupuis-Perezes’ two children. After the crash on the Ambaum Boulevard “S” curve, Plancarte-Bustos drove north a short distance to the Rainbow Mini-Mart, where officers found her. She’s been in jail ever since. In the agreement, in addition to the vehicular-homicide pleas, she pleaded guilty to one gross-misdemeanor count of hit-and-run, while two felony hit-run counts were dropped. She has no record and as part of the plea bargain, prosecutors are recommending the low end of the standard sentencing range, 8 1/2 years plus an extra year for the “enhancement” of having a child in the car. The final sentencing decision will be up to King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock on July 14th. Family and friends have created this website as a tribute to the victims, their work, and their legacy.

11:05 AM: Big callout right now for King County Sheriff’s Deputies and medics for what’s reported as a stabbing at 15th and Roxbury. More details as we get them.

11:20 AM: Our crew at the scene reports this happened at the service station on the southwest corner of the intersection. The victim has been taken to Harborview Medical Center. A suspect is in custody (and currently on a stretcher).

As covered on our partner site West Seattle Blog starting late Saturday night, three people were shot at Roxy’s Casino. The casino and adjacent Roxbury Lanes plan to remain closed until Thursday as they continue dealing with the aftermath. WSB commenters say two of the victims are Roxy’s employees. While KCSO is saying very little about the shooting or the investigation, Harborview Medical Center says all three victims are still there, two men in critical condition, one woman in serious condition. No description or image of the shooter has been made public yet.

ADDED TUESDAY: One of the men has improved to serious condition, according to Harborview.

Two Crime Watch notes today:

HELICOPTER OVER WHITE CENTER: The King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One has been circling for a while. We’re trying to find out why and will update when we know.

UPDATE: The mini-mart on the northwest corner of 16th/107th was robbed, we’ve confirmed at the scene. We’re told the robber(s) got away with about $150. The store remains open, as does the teriyaki restaurant next door. The helicopter has since moved on.

Meantime, a reader report of a recent incident:

CAR-WASH ASSAULT: This is from the victim’s mom:

I just wanted to make readers aware that there is risk of assault at the Car Palace car wash [10450 16th SW]. Two weeks ago, my 19-year old daughter was getting coins from the bill changer at the car wash. It was about 10 am.

She was groped from behind by a man who was about 5’5″ with dark hair. He was filming himself groping her with his camera. When she yelled, he took off running. She was so upset that she unwisely leapt into her car to follow him.

She followed him in her car to a nearby street where he hid under a bush. She then called her dad, who called the police. They saw the man enter a house nearby. They waited for 3 hours for the police, or in this case the sheriff, but no one came. There is currently just one car assigned to White Center.

Last night, the sheriff’s deputy came to interview my daughter. They cannot interview the suspect until the single deputy gets a partner for safety reasons.

At the very least, we’d like to warn other women that Car Palace may not be safe when you are alone, even in broad daylight on a busy street.

Incident # C23017252. We’re checking on the KCSO staffing situation, as they recently assigned a new “storefront deputy,” according to briefings at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council.

(KCSO photos)</em>