Two men arrested for completely separate incidents of crime via Craigslist in the CD have been charged.

Hezekiah Greene, who was allegedly behind the 31st and Yesler armed robbery last week, killed a man in Belltown in 2008, the Seattle PI reports. Greene was 14 at the time.

Our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle has more details on David Hansen, the man suspected of robbing people he meets for sex via online ads. Hansen eluded police at 29th and Norman January 22, then apparently taunted them via Twitter.

Greene

Greene has been charged with one home robbery in Greenwood, though investigation into the 31st and Yesler robbery—which was arranged through Craigslist as an iPhone sale—is ongoing. The Seattle PI found that Greene pleaded guilty to killing Vince S Clair with a tire iron: Continue reading →

The Seattle Times has identified the dead gunman in Sunday night’s shooting at 25th and Cherry’s Twilight Exit as 33-year-old James Anderson and reports on his troubled relationship and recent run-in with police in a November incident also at the Twilight. According to his Facebook profile, Anderson was a Seattle Central student and a regular in the Belltown hip-hop scene. He leaves behind a son who is less than a year old.

According to most recent reports, both of Anderson’s victims remain in stable condition in the hospital.

The injured Twilight bouncer has been identified as Greg McCormick.

UPDATE: The Seattle Times reports that the officer who shot Anderson was four-year veteran Anthony Ducre. He won the department’s medal of courage in 2012.

In accordance with department protocol, he has been reassigned in the aftermath of the shooting.

Meanwhile, bar staff have been working to clean up ever since police left Monday and plan to open tonight (Tuesday), though trivia is cancelled.

CDNews spoke with owner Stephan Mollmann Monday evening at the Neighbor Lady, where left-behind bags, coats and cell phones were laid out on the pool table waiting for their owners to reclaim them. Mollmann described entering the bar after investigators had finished, seeing drinks and phones abandoned on tables exactly where they were when the shooting started.

On one table, there was a half-finished beer, a cell phone, and a nearly full birthday cocktail.

Mollmann said he sees the shooting as a domestic incident that could have happened anywhere. He hopes the bar can move past it and get back on its feet quickly. Continue reading →

A man shot two people inside the Twilight Exit at 25th and Cherry Sunday night before exiting the bar and firing at police officers outside. Police returned fire and killed him.

The two people shot inside, a 25-year-old female and a bouncer in his 30s, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were struck during the exchange outside the bar.

Update: The shooter has been identified as James D Anderson. See update below for more details from the Seattle Times.

Police loaded witnesses onto a Metro bus

The incident started around 10:15 p.m., according to police. There were at least 20 people in the bar when the suspect entered, apparently looking for the woman, who was an ex.

After exchanging words, the man pulled out a gun and shot her. He also shot a Twilight Exit bouncer when he tried to intervene.

When the suspect exited the bar, police contacted him and told him to drop his gun. He lifted the gun and fired one shot at officers, police said. Officers then returned fire, striking him.

Medics declared the suspect dead on arrival. The two victims inside were transported to the hospital.

Witnesses gathered outside, and emergency responders gave them ponchos to keep dry from the light, cold drizzle as they waiting for detectives. A Metro bus arrived, and witnesses boarded to stay warm and talk to officers. They then left the scene in the bus, headed to station for further statements.

The shooting occurred just two blocks from where Justin Ferrari’s van came to a stop after he was shot and killed in May 2012, one block from where Tyrone Love was shot and killed in 2009, one block from where Quincy Coleman has shot and killed on Halloween 2008, and two blocks from where a man was shot and seriously injured in August.

The Twilight Exit has been a huge supporter of CDNews, and a personal favorite watering hole. We send our best wishes to the victims, staff and everyone in the bar.

Update — Monday 9:40 AM: Twilight Exit management has posted the following message to the bar’s Facebook page:

The page has also become a de facto message board for customers to share support for the victims and the Twilight.

CDNews spoke with Twilight Exit owner Stephan Mollmann, who has had a long night. He said the shooter and victim were regulars in the Twilight, and their disputes have raised concerns in the past.

“Right when it happened, I knew who it was,” he said.

He said the bouncer remains in the ICU in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his thigh.

Police have not yet cleared the scene. Once they do, the many bags, coats and other belongings left will be taken to the Neighbor Lady at 23rd and Union, which Mollmann also owns in partnership with Shira Bray.

Update: The Seattle Times spoke to a witness who described the following:

Continue reading →

The following photo from the Seattle Municipal Archives features a boy painting a mural at Peppi’s Playground at 32nd and Spruce in 1970.

Remember, you can add your Central District photos—new and old—to the Central District Flickr pool.

Screen capture from dashboard video of Etherly’s arrest

The city has filed misdemeanor hit-and-run charges against Leo Etherly, the man whose rough arrest at 23rd and Union in October prompted an internal investigation into the level of force used.

Etherly was originally stopped by officers because they said his vehicle and license plate were similar to a vehicle described in a hit-and-run of a woman riding a bicycle at 29th and Jefferson.

Police were pursuing felony charges for hit-and-run and assault on officers for allegedly spitting on them. The King County Prosecutor declined to pursue the cases, however.

Now, the City Attorney has refiled the hit-and-run charge in Seattle Municipal Court, as well as a charge for third-degree driving with a suspended license, the Seattle Times reports. The city declined to refile the assault charge.

The internal investigation against the officer’s actions during the arrest is still underway.

Meanwhile, video of the incident mobilized a group of people to start organizing to fight police brutality in the city. The Seattle King County NAACP and the No New Jim Crow Coalition are holding an organizing meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church at 23rd and Dearborn.

Here’s a look at some of the crime incidents that have happened in the neighborhood in recent weeks. Most information comes from SPD reports.

Two young men rob person in Craigslist scam at 31st/Yesler

Police are searching for two young men after they allegedly robbed someone at 31st and Yesler Thursday evening. Details from SPD:

Two young male suspects are at large tonight after robbing a man at gunpoint.  At approximately 6:26 p.m. officers responded to the area of 31st Avenue and East Yesler Way for the report of an armed robbery of a citizen.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim placed an advertisement on Craig’s List to purchase an i-phone.  He then arranged to meet with whom he thought were the sellers at 31st Avenue and East Yesler Way.  Upon arrival the suspects brandished a gun and robbed the victim of his cash and cell phone. The suspects fled the area on foot and remain at large.

Both suspects are described as black males, 5’8″ to 6 feet tall and 15 to 16 years of age.  One suspect had a black jacket, baseball cap, and dark pants. There is no further description at this time of the second suspect.

Robbery detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate. Continue reading →

It’s out with the old…

…and in with the new for Fire Station 6.

Firefighters finished their move into the new digs Tuesday, officially making the old station at 23rd and Yesler a neighborhood relic with an uncertain future (see our previous post).

While the city works to sell the old, historic station, the police department will use it to temporarily house vehicles displaced by work on their parking lot near the East Precinct. This includes the giant mobile precinct vehicle and several parking enforcement vehicles.

From the Department of Financial and Administrative Services, which is responsible for selling the property: Continue reading →

Police and SWAT have surrounded a house at 29th and Norman.

The standoff started as an attempt to arrest a robbery suspect, police said via Twitter. We will update as we learn more.

UPDATE: The incident is now wrapping up, police say. The suspect was not in the house.

Shortly before 6 p.m., detectives arrived at the house with a warrant for the arrest of a 25-year-old robbery suspect. Police at the scene did not have details on the suspect’s alleged crime.

As officers approached the house, the suspect came out of the house, saw the officers, then fled back inside. Officers called for backup and SWAT, as is standard procedure in a barricade situation. They did not know if the suspect was armed.

Police surrounded the area and brought negotiators to the scene. The suspect did not respond of make contact with officers during the four hours the apparent stand-off lasted.

Police eventually obtained a search warrant for the home and entered shortly after 10 p.m. It was empty and the suspect was not located.

The Garfield High School faculty have received support from big education thinkers all over the nation—including Noam Chomsky and former assistant US Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch—as they stand strong on their boycott of the mandated MAP tests.

Faculty announced earlier this month that they had unanimously voted not to administer the test, citing concerns that the tests take up valuable class time and resources, hog the computer labs and reveal very little about how well the students are learning.

The boycott prompted Seattle School District Superintendent Jose Banda to issue a statement reiterating that teachers are expected to administer the test. He also put pressure on school principals to take “leadership in ensuring the required MAP tests are completed by Feb. 22.”

Garfield Principal Ted Howard tells CDNews that he is staying out of the debate, writing, “this issue is between the Teacher union and the School district.”

Meanwhile, other Seattle schools are starting to join Garfield in the boycott, and educators all over the nation have taken notice of what started at 23rd and Jefferson.

UPDATE: Just in from Seattle Schools: “Seattle Public Schools will host a media briefing with Superintendent José Banda and other district officials regarding the district’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing.” Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.

From the Seattle Times: Continue reading →

The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rally starts at 11 a.m. at Garfield High School Monday. At 12:30, one of the largest MLK Day marches in the nation will start on its journey to the Federal Building downtown via Capitol Hill.

For more details on the march, see our previous post.

See more photos at the bottom of this post. We will add more throughout the day.

Continue reading →