White Center Now: The blog about White Center

You got first word of it from the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council … and now one more reminder from King County has just arrived in the inbox, with this event now less than two weeks away:

You are invited to attend the 2017 King County Community Service Area Town Hall and Community meeting for residents of North Highline and White Center. The Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7 from 7 to 9 PM at Seola Garden-Providence Building, 11215 5th Avenue SW.

The meeting will provide residents of unincorporated King County and other interested residents an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of concern with Councilmember Joe McDermott, Rhonda Berry of the County Executive’s Office, Sheriff John Urquhart and key officials from King County Department and Branches including Transportation, Natural Resources and Parks, Permitting and Environmental Review, the Assessor’s office and others.

It’s the annual chance to bring your concerns and questions directly to the county officials who are accountable.

(Also posted on partner site West Seattle Blog)

Can you help find a murder suspect? The King County Sheriff’s Office has just identified a suspect in the May 7th murder of James Little in White Center, and released his photo, asking for your help to track him down:

A Murder 1 warrant has been issued for Billy D. Williams, 30, of Oregon, for the May 7th murder of Seattle resident James Little, 30.

Little was attending a birthday party at a bar in the 9800 block of 16 Ave SW when a group of women got into a fight. The fight ended up outside and the women eventually separated.

Little approached a group of people across the street when Williams, who was in the group, pulled a gun and shot him in the head, killing him.

Detectives have not released a motive for the shooting but said Williams has ties to Albany, Oregon and Seattle. Williams is described as a black man, 30, 5’8”, medium build.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Williams you can call 911 or you may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Got a text about a sizable response of deputies and medics this afternoon. Checked with King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West, who explained that it started around 3:15 pm as a “report of a male trespassing at a business in the 1700 block of SW Roxbury. He was described as possibly being high.” One of the deputies who responded radioed that he was fighting with the suspect; other deputies arrived and made an arrest, but Sgt. West adds, “Apparently one of the deputies was poked with a needle too.”

Last Friday, we got a few questions about the King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter searching in White Center. We weren’t able to reach KCSO for details at the time but did get information today from KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West. She says a burglary attempt was reported in the 1200 block of SW 112th around 1 pm Friday: “The homeowner told us that when they returned home, they saw the suspect attempting to get into their garage. Deputies arrived quickly and set up a perimeter to try to catch the suspect. K-9 and Guardian 1 also assisted with the search. The suspect was found hiding in the back yard of a house nearby. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Residential Burglary.” The suspect is 44 and, Sgt. West adds, lives “not too far from the area” of the crime.

Crime and safety are always hot topics and this month, they’re at the center of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s monthly meeting. From NHUAC president Liz Giba:

When: Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 7 pm

Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

Please join North Highline’s volunteer community council at our April 6, 2017 meeting.

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard

Detective Joe Gagliardi of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) will be joining us this month.

Detective Gagliardi is highly regarded as an expert on gangs in the Sheriff’s Office. Do you know there are different types of graffiti? Have you wondered whether the graffiti you’ve been seeing is gang-related? Have you heard stories about local gang activity? Join us on Thursday and you’ll surely learn some things about gangs and how they operate from Detective Gagliardi and Deputy Bill Kennamer, our storefront deputy.

Knowledge is power. Come learn, share and help make our community a better place.

Thursday, April 6th at 7 pm – Bring a Neighbor

10:43 PM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are currently investigating a shooting, according to scanner traffic. A victim was reportedly found at 15th and 98th, but the shooting is said to have happened near the Roxbury Safeway. Right now they’re talking to a possible suspect. We’ll update if we find out anything more.

10:58 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says 15th and 98th is where the victim was shot; the Roxbury Safeway involvement was because of a possible suspect in that area, but “that turned out not to be the case,” and they are continuing to look for the suspect. Sgt. West says the victim is a man whose injury is “serious but not life-threatening.”

11:07 PM: Sgt. West says the victim is being taken to Harborview. He had called 911 to say he was shot, and was in a car when they found him, so they’re not certain about the circumstances so far.

FRIDAY, 10:50 AM: We checked in again with Sgt. West this morning. She says the victim, contrary to rumor, DID survive. As to how and why this happened, investigators still don’t know. Please contact KCSO if you have information.

For those asking about the incident at 14th SW and SW 102nd on Wednesday evening: We went to the scene after a tip, but aside from the fact that there were bullet holes in the car shown in our photo, didn’t find out much. So this morning, we asked King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West, who tells WCN:

Yesterday around 5:15 pm we received a call of shots being fired in the area of the 1400 block of SW 102nd. When we arrived, we found an Acura that had crashed into a small concrete wall and a parked truck in the 1400 block of SW 102nd.

Witnesses told us people in the Acura and another (unknown) car were shooting at each other from the vehicles. After the exchange of gunfire, both cars fled in different directions; the Acura struck the concrete wall and truck. The occupants of the Acura fled on foot. There was an unoccupied vehicle that was struck by the gunfire that was parked nearby. Does not appear as though anyone was struck by bullets.

So, no arrests so far.

P.S. If you’re wondering – well, they have the car, did they find its owners? – Sgt. West explains that while the car was not reported as stolen, there is a “report of sale” on file with its new owner “not listed.”

(WCN photos/video)

That’s the plaque for King County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Cox on the new memorial KCSO just dedicated for the 16 law enforcers it has lost in the line of duty. Deputy Cox, the White Center community leader who was killed 10 years ago today, is the most recent, but, Sheriff John Urquhart warned somberly, won’t be the last.

The short ceremony in the jury room at the King County Courthouse downtown this morning also acknowledged the sad coincidence that this event, long in the works, comes as the state mourns a Tacoma police officer killed in the line of duty this week. After the ceremony, everyone moved to the courthouse lobby outside the Sheriff’s Office, with fallen officers’ family members in the front row for the unveiling:

Family members had been given roses as they entered the ceremony, and many were placed below the memorial before they left:

We also recorded video of the ceremony at which Sheriff Urquhart and King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn spoke.

ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: Here’s that video:

And here’s the official KCSO news release about today’s event: Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you for the tips about King County Sheriff’s Deputies blocking off 14th SW on the south side of Roxbury. We just went over to find out more. Investigators tell us this happened around 5:30 pm; a 12-year-old boy crossing the street was hit by a driver, who promptly got out and ran. The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center; deputies are still looking for the driver, whose Honda CR-V (updated) has been towed. The intersection is expected to reopen soon.

From the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Just before 2 am, deputies responded to a shooting at 15th Ave SW/SW Roxbury St. They contacted a 40-year-old male with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to Harborview Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Multiple shots were fired and the victim was hit at least once. The suspect is described as a male in dark colored clothing. The suspect is at large. We have no further information at this time.

From the King County Sheriff’s Office, as they prepare to dedicate a memorial to fallen deputies, including White Center’s Deputy Steve Cox:

The King County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating any and all family members of King County Sheriff’s Deputies who have fallen in the line of duty. The Sheriff’s Office is dedicating a memorial to the 16 deputies who have been killed in the line of duty since the county was created in 1852.

The Sheriff’s Office will be dedicating a memorial to the deputies at 10 am on December 2nd at the King County Courthouse and would like family members of the fallen deputies to be present during the historic unveiling. If you are a family member or relative of one of these fallen deputies please contact Captain Greg Thomas at Greg.Thomas@kingcounty.gov

The fallen Deputies are (in alphabetical order);

Deputy Donald A. Armeni
End of watch
September 15, 1954

Deputy Mark William Brown
End of Watch
February 27, 1999

Deputy William G. Cherry
End of Watch
March 6, 1853

Deputy Richard S. Cochran II
End of watch
May 22, 1991

Deputy Steve E. Cox
End of Watch
December 2, 2006

Deputy Richard Anthony Herzog
End of Watch
June 22, 2002

Detective Sergeant Samuel A. Hicks
End of watch
June 24, 1982

Deputy Thomas Meehan
End of watch
November 13, 1935

Deputy George Poor
End of Watch
July 26, 1891

Detective Michael L. Raburn
End of watch
March 27, 1984

Deputy Robert Carl Scott
End of Watch
April 4, 1920

Deputy Norman F. Silkworth
End of Watch
March 7, 1952

Special Deputy Steve Watson
End of Watch
July 9, 1934

Deputy John Williams
End of watch
March 18, 1903

Sheriff Louis V. Wyckoff
End of watch
January 20, 1882

Deputy Posseman Cornelius Rowley
End of Watch
July 4, 1902

6:10 PM: 8th/Roxbury will be at least partially blocked for a few hours because of a crash investigation. A King County Sheriff’s Deputy hit a man who was walking across the street, according to KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West. While the man’s injuries are not believed to be major, he’s been taken to Harborview Medical Center, and because a deputy was involved, KCSO’s major-crash investigators are coming to the scene, and their work usually takes a few hours. Our crew says westbound traffic on Roxbury is completely blocked, while one eastbound lane was open, and some southbound traffic on 8th was also getting through. We probably won’t know more about the circumstances until tomorrow.

9:27 PM: Couldn’t get back to check until now, but in case you were wondering, the intersection is completely clear.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Sgt. West says the 65-year-old man who was hit was not in the hospital for long and was released last night. Here’s how they believe it happened: “The deputy was northbound on 8 Ave SW and was stopped at the red light at Roxbury. When the light turned green he waited for traffic to clear so he could make a left turn to go westbound on Roxbury. The pedestrian was in the cross walk on the west side of the intersection crossing from south to north. The man had just reached the first westbound lane when he was hit by the bumper of the police vehicle making the left turn. The northbound light was green and the status of the pedestrian crossing light is unknown.”

She says the deputy was in an unmarked SUV and was estimated to have been going 10 mph or less when he hit the pedestrian.

12:18 PM: Avoid 17th SW at and north of SW 104th. Deputies have it blocked for what they tell us are two separate incidents. At the north end, it’s a suspicious package. At the south end, shots were fired at or in a longtime trouble house. The person who fired them is st large and might be injured, but his whereabouts are unknown. More later.

4 PM: No additional information, but in case you were wondering, the street IS fully clear now.

We received some questions about an hours-long King County Sheriff’s Office presence near 1st Avenue S. and 104th in Top Hat last night. By the time we were finally able to get over to the area, they were gone. We followed up with KCSO Sgt. Cindi West this morning:

Yesterday around 7:20 am deputies were flagged down by a woman in Burien who said they had their car stolen. ( 800 block of SW 122 St. )

The woman had pulled into her day care and left the vehicle running while she dropped her child off. When she went back out to the car it was gone. The woman had also left her iPhone in the car. We took a stolen vehicle report and about 15 minutes later, the woman and her husband flagged another deputy down and told him that they had a GPS signal from the phone showing it was in the area of S. 104th St and Occidental.

Deputies drove the area and found the stolen vehicle parked in front of a house in the 10200 block of 1 Ave S. When deputies tried to surround the car, the suspect sped off, striking a police vehicle as he fled. We did not find the suspect or vehicle but did find another stolen car at the house he had been parked in front of.

Thanks for the tips – the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One was over White Center for a little while tonight, almost exactly 24 hours after last night’s visit. And again, they’ve explained it with information on Twitter:

One tipster reported seeing KCSO cars in the “dollar store” parking lot on the east side of downtown WC. For tips, by the way, you can text or call us any time at the same hotline we’ve long had for our partner site West Seattle Blog – 206-293-6302.

Thanks for the text about a helicopter over White Center. Since media helicopters are almost always off on weekends, we figured it had to be Guardian One, and headed over. But they’ve already explained themselves, via Twitter:

The King County Sheriff’s Office deputy who presented the crime briefing at this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, Deputy Corbett Ford, has information to share to help you avoid becoming a victim of auto theft. He shares it in Etwo languages, first, English:

Every day someone becomes a victim of auto theft. We all think it isn’t that big of deal until it happens to you. A vehicle is stolen in the United States almost every 46 seconds. In 2014, there were 689,527 reported stolen vehicles. That amounts to more than $4.5 billion US Dollars. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metro area ranked 8th in the nation with 20,268 reported stolen vehicle. This is a problem that affects all of us.

Following are a few Crime Prevention Tips that can help to keep your car from disappearing and ruining your day:

-NEVER leave your vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition.
-Park in busy and well-lit areas.
-Equip your vehicle with an alarm and other anti-thefts devices.
-Lock your doors and keep the windows closed, even when your vehicle is parked in front of your home.
-Keep your vehicle information where you can get to it quickly.
-Report auto theft immediately. Police need your license plate and vehicle information.

And now, en Español:

Todos los días alguien se convierte en una víctima de robo de autos. Nadie le da importancia hasta que le sucede. Un vehículo es robado en los Estados Unidos casi cada 46 segundos. En el 2014, se reportaron 689.527 vehículos robados. Esta cantidad de autos robados asciende a más $ 4,5 billones de dólares. El área metropolitana de Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue estuvo en el octavo lugar a nivel nacional con 20.268 informes de vehículos robados. Este es un problema que nos afecta a todos.

Siguiendo algunos consejos de prevención del delito usted podria aprender como protejer su vehiculo.

-Nunca deje su vehículo si usted tiene que salir del auto.
-Estacionese en áreas concurridas y bien iluminadas.
-Equipe su vehículo con la alarma y otros dispositivos contra robos.
-Asegure las puertas las puertas y mantenga las ventanas cerradas, incluso cuando el vehículo está -estacionado frente a su casa.
-Mantenga la información de su vehículo donde se puede acceder a ella rápidamente.
-Reporte inmediatamente el robo de su auto. La Policía necesita el numero de la placa y la informacion del vehiculo.

Deputy Ford also shares the Top 10 List of Stolen Vehicles, as reported by the National Insurance Crime Bureau for 2014:

1 Honda Accord (1994)
2 Honda Civic (1998)
3 Subaru Legacy (1997)
4 Toyota Camry (1991)
5 Ford Pickup (Full Size, 2000)
6 Acura Integra (1994)
7 Chevrolet Pickup (Small Size, 1998)
8 Honda CR-V (1999)
9 Toyota Corolla (1993)
10 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size, 1999)

Thanks to Deputy Ford for the info – share it with your friends and neighbors!

5:48 PM: King County Sheriff’s Office has just texted that there’s been a shooting at 15th SW and 100th involving a deputy. The suspect is reported to be injured. More when we get there.

6:04 PM: Our crew says the Chevron station at that intersection is taped off and a TV helicopter is overhead.

6:43 PM: Sheriff John Urquhart is at the scene, reports our crew, who just talked with Sgt. Jason Houck, acting media-relations officer. (Added: Video of our interview with Sgt. Houck:)

What KCSO says so far is that they responded to a call of two people fighting at the Chevron, one possibly armed with a knife. When they got there, they confirmed one did have a knife. That person was told to drop it, but, KCSO says, he kept moving toward the sergeant who was the original responding deputy. Told repeatedly to drop it, he didn’t, Deputy Houck said, and the sergeant opened fire.

Two shots were fired, one hitting the man in the abdomen. He has been taken to Harborview Medical Center.

6:52 PM: KCSO tells us the sergeant is a 25-year veteran, and that the other man involved in the original fight is being questioned.

11:28 PM: The KCSO news release:

On May 9th, 2016, just after 515pm, King County Sheriff 911 Communications received reports of what a caller described as two males having a “knife fight” in front of a bus stop in the 9900 blk of 15th Ave SW, in the White Center area of unincorporated King County. Multiple King County Sheriff Deputies initially began to respond to the scene.

As the first Deputies were arriving on the scene approximately one minute later, several people began running from the area of the fight. A King County Sergeant, who had also responded to the area, got out of his car to talk to one of the men whom he had observed leaving the area of the fight. As the Sergeant got out of his car, the man began walking directly toward him, holding a knife at waist level. The Sergeant repeatedly ordered the man to stop and drop the knife, but the man continued advancing directly toward the Sergeant.

Despite multiple commands by the Sergeant to the man to stop and put the knife down, the man continued walking directly toward him. As the man continued walking toward the Sergeant, still holding the knife and ignoring commands to stop, the Sergeant fired two rounds at him. Both rounds hit the man in the stomach. At about the same time, another deputy whom had just arrived on scene, deployed his taser at the man as he advanced on the Sergeant. It is unknown at this time if the taser actually made contact or had any affect on the man.

Once the man was cleared of any further weapons, and it was safe for people to approach him, King County Deputies and North Highline Fire Medics performed 1st aid on the man. He was transported to Harborview where, at the time of this press release, he was in surgery, in critical condition.

The Sergeant that shot the man is a 17-year veteran with the King County Sheriffs Office. Prior to working for the King County Sheriffs Office, he was a Deputy in Maricopa County Arizona. The Sergeant is on paid administrative leave. This is a common practice for officer-involved shootings.

The man that was shot, is a 54yoa W/M that is believed to be a transient from the White Center area.

King County Sheriff Detectives will be diagramming the scene, collecting evidence, and talking to as many witnesses as possible to determine the circumstances that led up to this event.

(ADDED: WCN photo, Wednesday night, roadside memorial)

5:44 AM: We have confirmed with the King County Sheriff’s Office that someone was killed in a crash at 16th/104th over the weekend. We got a report that deputies had blocked the road there early Sunday but weren’t able to go check it out; then we noticed what looked like a small roadside memorial later in the day. Now KCSO confirms a fatality crash and promises more information later today.

6:32 AM: The victim was in a wheelchair when hit and killed by a driver who left the scene but later turned himself in, according to this news release just in from KCSO:

In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 1st, 2016, King County Sheriff’s Deputies happened upon a person lying in the street, with a wheelchair next to them, near the intersection of SW 104 & 16th Ave SW.

Deputies were able to quickly determine the victim, a 63-year-old Native American male, had been struck while trying to cross the street in his wheelchair. Deputies and North Highline Fire / Aid crews attempted to render aid but the man later died of his injuries.

The vehicle that had hit the man was initially gone when Deputies first came upon the scene. However, approximately 4 hours later, a 51-year-old Hispanic male, returned to the scene and turned himself in to Deputies. The suspect admitted to knowing that he had hit something, but told Deputies he thought it was a shopping cart. When he learned it was a person he had hit, the suspect said he consulted a pastor and then came back to the scene to turn himself in.

 The suspect was booked for investigation of Felony Hit and Run.


The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The pedestrian in the wheelchair was in a lit crosswalk at the time he was struck.

Checking the WCN archives, we note this is the same spot where a drunk driver hit and killed 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado last year. Online court files show that driver, Jamie Starr Larson, is still awaiting trial.