White Center Now: The blog about White Center

If you missed our coverage of last night’s White Center attack that injured an employee of Cascade Heights Veterinary Clinic, it’s on our partner site West Seattle Blog – we originally heard about the helicopter search from people on the city side of the line, so that’s where we started the story, and never got around to crossposting here. Meantime, if you want to talk with deputies about crime/safety concerns, Friday is the day for Coffee with a Cop at the White Center Starbucks (16th/100th), as noted here last week – 9 am to 11 am, just drop in when you can.

Thanks to commenter LS for reporting that signs were up at both recently burned houses on 11th SW, declaring the fires to be arson and announcing a $10,000 reward fund.

11025 11th SW, above, is the scene of the most-recent fire – two in the same night, actually – following one at 11031 11th SW, below:

King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West tells WCN, “We suspect both are arson. The second house had a fire inside; then after it was put out, we had to go back for a fire on the deck. No suspects at this time. Of course we don’t know if the two house fires are related, but based on timeframe and locality it appears that way.” If you have any information about either or both, call the number on the signs – 800-55-ARSON.

Two and a half weeks after the double murder in downtown White Center, the King County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect and is asking for help finding him. The photo and announcement are just in:

King County Sheriff’s Detectives are asking for the public’s help locating a man who is wanted for shooting and killing two men in White Center earlier this month.

Merle Charles Buchanan, aka Chucky, 26, is wanted for 2 counts of 1st-Degree Murder for shooting and killing 51-year-old Jose Angel Garcia and 45-year-old Paul Victor Tapia outside of Club Taradise in the 9800 block of 16th Ave SW on January 6th.

Around 1 am on January 6th, deputies responded to the area after receiving multiple reports of a shooting outside of the club. When deputies arrived they located the two victims in the parking lot. Garcia died at the scene and Tapia was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he later died.

During the investigation, detectives identified the suspect in the shootings as Buchanan. Buchanan is known to frequent Burien, Renton and Seattle and detectives believe he is still in the area.

Buchanan is 5’9” and 195 lbs. In addition to the murder warrants, he also has a Felony Domestic Violence No Contact Order Warrant. He should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see Buchanan or know of his location, please do not approach him. You can call 911 or you can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

The court documents related to the no-contact order say that hours before the shooting, he assaulted a former girlfriend while giving her a ride from Skyway to her home in White Center. She got out of the car in Top Hat and called police. Those documents say that Buchanan’s last-known address is in Auburn. Meantime, we are checking with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to see if there are any documents on file related to the double-murder case.

1:20 AM: From the scanner: Two people have been shot in the 9800 block of 16th SW. One is reported to have been killed. No word of any arrests so far – we’ve heard talk of a chaotic scene and a possible getaway car. More to come.

2:22 AM: Sheriff’s deputies have 16th SW taped off from 98th to just short of 100th. They’re focused in the same area as last May’s deadly shooting. No one at the scene is commenting so far, though.

3:02 AM: Via Twitter, KCSO confirms that “one male” is dead and “another” is in critical condition.

7:18 AM: More info from KCSO early this morning: The man who was killed was 51; the other man, who was in surgery as of a few hours ago, is 35. KCSO says they were shot outside the Taradise Café. “Detectives believe that the two victims knew each other and that they got into some kind of verbal and physical altercation with an unknown age, race, or build male just before the shooting.” KCSO says few witnesses remained on the scene by the time deputies/detectives arrived.

King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detectives are investigating a carjacking and assault early this morning in the Super Saver Foods parking lot at 16th SW/SW 106th. It happened just after 1 am, according to KCSO Sgt. BJ Myers, who says the carjacker punched the victim in the face and stole his white 2003 Ford F250 pickup truck, WA plates C67286K. Call 911 if you see it.

Two items spotted at North Shorewood Park this afternoon by Gill:

The first item is a stolen bike which is located just off the North/South trail on its west side about halfway.

This trail is the one that can be accessed from either above the basketball hoop or from the other end by the fenced Corral. I would have tried to move it onto the trail but my hands were already full of other trash.

The second item was found about 100′ SE of the upper picnic table.

Two phones were in the pile along with items that someone might juse riding to and from work including water bottles. The whole pile now resides in the waste container down by the 24th Ave. SW entrance. Likely KC Parks will empty it Sat. morning.

So if any of that looks familiar to you – check it out on Saturday, sooner rather than later.

From the King County Sheriff’s Office:

King County Sheriff’s detectives are asking for the public’s help locating a U-Haul van that was stolen from a hotel parking lot in SeaTac containing over $1 million in musical equipment.

The van was parked in the Double Tree Hotel parking lot in the 18700 block of International Blvd Thursday night. Surveillance photos show the van was taken from the parking lot Friday around 4:10 am. A dark colored pickup truck was seen in the area at the time of the crime and may be associated with the crime.

The U-Haul is described at a Ford F450, orange and white with a large picture of a Zebra on the side and license plates AG29943. The dark-colored pickup is described as a 2 door with 2 white stripes on the top of the cab.

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

The suspect arrested in last Friday night’s shooting death by White Center Plaza had a hearing today. Documents from that hearing reveal that he is a 16-year-old from Olympia. We’re not identifying him until and unless he is charged; the deadline for that is Thursday afternoon. Today’s hearing resulted in a judge finding that there’s probable cause to keep him in detention until the charging decision is made. The documents say he was arrested at Capitol High School in Olympia and that he is a student there, and that he confessed to shooting 27-year-old Kenny T. Su at least four times with a .40-caliber handgun which he then threw into Puget Sound.

King County Sheriff’s Deputies searched off Don Armeni Boat Ramp in West Seattle today; a reader sent the photo above, and KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West confirmed that divers found a gun in the water. The suspect is reported to have told investigators that he shot the victim because the man had stabbed him minutes earlier at the 15th/Roxbury Texaco station, after allegedly demanding the suspect’s shoes. According to police, they identified the suspect with the help of security video and a tipster; the suspect told them he was in the area because he had taken a bus from Olympia to visit relatives in Delridge.

(WCN photo, Friday night)

The King County Sheriff’s Office just announced that a suspect is in custody in last Friday night’s shooting death in White Center. KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Jason Houck says the suspect is “a juvenile male” who has been booked into the King County Youth Detention Center, adding, “At this point, there is no new information about what led to the fight that occurred just prior to the shooting. Detectives are still actively investigating this incident.” The victim was a 27-year-old man from Burien, found by the White Center Plaza building late Friday night, along 15th SW just north of SW 98th – here’s our coverage from that night.

(WCN photos)
11:49 PM: King County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a deadly shooting in White Center. They were searching on the ground and in the air after the shooting by the White Center Plaza building on 15th SW north of SW 98th.

KCSO says the victim is male but that’s about all we know right now – no word yet on the circumstances, and no word of any arrests. We’ll update when there’s more info to report. Deputies are also busy with a deadly shooting less than three miles south at 1st Avenue S. and S. 120th – early reports are that two men shot at each other; one was killed, one wounded in the leg.

7:17 AM: No additional information so far this morning. But we did verify that investigators cleared the scene overnight and 15th SW is open again.

8:45 AM: New information just in from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West: The victim was a 27-year-old man from Burien: “Witnesses told police that a group of men was talking with the victim prior to the shooting. The suspect who was with the group of men fought with the victim. When the fight was over, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the victim. The men fled the scene on foot. King County Guardian One and K-9 responded but were unable to locate the suspect or the men he was with. The only description obtained was that the suspect was wearing a red hoodie.” They’re asking for tips – 206-296-3311 (or 911).

11:59 PM: Thanks for all the tips about the Guardian 1 helicopter search over Top Hat. It was helping search for suspects in a shooting and robbery at the Star 21 marijuana store in the 11000 block of 1st Avenue South, we confirmed with a deputy in the area. No arrest(s) reported so far. We will be following up with the King County Sheriff’s Office in the morning.

ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: From Sgt. Cindi West of KCSO:

A K-9 search was done on the ground in addition to the helicopter search, but no one was found.

12:23 PM: Even more details in the newest update from KCSO:

The incident happened just before 10:00pm at the Star 21 marijuana shop in the 11000 block of 1 Ave S. A store employee saw lights and heard loud banging near the front door so he opened the door to see what it was. He saw a vehicle rapidly backing into the barriers placed in front of the store. A group of men, wearing masks, got out of the car and ran towards him at the front door. The employee tried to close the door but the men forced their way inside the store. One of the suspects shot the 25 year old employee in the shoulder as they entered the store. The suspects were described as black males wearing masks and hoodies.

Once inside the store the suspects rummaged through the store taking items before fleeing northbound in the vehicle. A short time later a deputy found the vehicle unoccupied near S110th St and Occidental Ave S. The vehicle had been reported stolen in a carjacking in SeaTac on Monday. The employee was taken to Harborview with serious injuries.

The carjacking occurred on Monday night around 11:00. The victim was sitting in his car in a parking lot in the 3500 block of S180th St. when he was approached by three males. One of the males produced a handgun, pointed it at the victim and demanded his car keys. The suspects then fled in the vehicle. The suspects in this case were described as two Hispanic males and one black male, all believed to be in their teens. (C17045198)

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

Just out of the inbox:

As promised, we followed up with King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West today for details of the two recent marijuana-store holdups in White Center.

The first one, at Uncle Ike’s in the 9800 block of 15th SW, actually happened the night of July 2nd, she says: “4 masked men entered the store armed with handguns and robbed the store of marijuana. During the crime, an employee was pistol-whipped once in the face by one of the suspects. We have not apprehended any of them yet.”

Then last night at Bud Nation in the 9600 block of 16th SW, she says, the store was robbed around 11 pm by “a single suspect (who) entered the store and was armed with a handgun. He was not apprehended.”

Any link between the two robberies? She says they don’t know.

For the second time in a week, someone has held up a White Center marijuana store. One week ago tonight, Uncle Ike’s was robbed; we had a reader report but could not follow up the next day because of the holiday, and it fell off our radar until just now, when police radio broadcast a report that Bud Nation was held up a short time ago by a robber with a gun. We’ll follow up on both Tuesday.

New information today on a case we reported yesterday on partner site West Seattle Blog after learning of this big police response on SB Highway 509 (shown in our video above).

Police now believe the death of a 25-year-old man in an unauthorized encampment on the slope between 509 and Myers Way was a homicide. This morning, they reported a 43-year-old man has been arrested and jailed. The cause of the victim’s death has not yet been announced but police say they learned “an assault” had taken place. The suspect has a fairly lengthy criminal record, according to state records online; the felony cases are mostly drug-related.

One woman is dead and another in custody after an early-morning shooting. From King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:

The shooting happened just before 1 am in the parking lot of the Avenue Apartments in the 10700 block of 14th Ave SW [map]. Police responded to the complex after receiving numerous 911 calls of a shot being heard.

When police arrived they found a 28 year old woman lying in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Another 28-year-old, who reportedly fired the shot, was taken into custody at the scene and transported to Highline Hospital with minor injuries from the fight.

Detectives learned the women knew each other and had been at a party at a nearby apartment prior to the shooting. Detectives are interviewing witnesses to determine what led up to the shooting.

Sgt. West says the suspect will be booked later this morning for investigation of murder.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:53 PM TUESDAY: If you’re seeing/hearing a big King County Sheriff’s Office response south of downtown White Center – we’re hearing via the scanner that Super Saver Foods at 10616 16th SW is reported to have been robbed at gunpoint. KCSO was told that five people were involved; no description so far. The store’s online listing says it’s usually open until 11 pm on Tuesday nights, so this happened shortly before closing time.

UPDATE, 11:02 AM WEDNESDAY: From Sgt. Cindi West of KCSO, who says it was a shoplifting case turned to robbery:

3 juvenile males went into the Super Saver and stole some drinks. A security guard followed them out of the store. The three suspects went outside and met up with 2 other juveniles. The security guard confronted the teens and one produced a handgun and threatened the security guard. The suspect then ran. Patrol deputies located the suspect who had displayed the handgun and threatened the guard nearby. He was arrested and booked into the Youth Services Center for Robbery. K-9 attempted a track for the other suspects but none were located.