Gary Ridgeway Back in Seattle

Lines on maps.  So much in life is determined by lines on maps.  In 2003, lines on a map allowed a man who had killed dozens to avoid being executed for his crimes.  At the same time, the plea deal Ridgeway's attorneys were able to work out with King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng spared the families of Ridgeway's victims both the pain of an extended trial and the unending distress of not knowing the fate of their loved one with any degree of certainty.  The result of the plea deal and the lines of King County on the map have kept Ridgeway alive (though he doesn't look so good).

Because Ridgeway's habit of picking up and frequently murdering prostitutes along the Sea-Tac strip just south of Seattle took place in King County, he has been able to plead guilty and avoid execution.

This week Ridgeway was in King County Court to plead guilty to his forty-ninth murder - that of Becky Marrero in 1982.  He received the required life without parole sentence as set out in the plea agreement.  As he told the court in his original trial, "I killed so many women, I have a hard time keeping them straight." 

I know that it is not a small number of people who feel as I do, hoping that at some point police will be able to make a case against Ridgeway in a jurisdiction across the King County line. 

Technorati Tags: Green River Killer,Gary Ridgeway,serial killer,true crime,Seattle true crime

Dave Niehaus, 1935-2010

 

Dave Niehaus, the lead announcer for Mariner radio and television broadcast for the entire history of the club, has passed away of a heart attack at his Bellevue home.  He was 75, and is survived by his wife Marilyn, their three children: Andy, Matt and Greta and six grandchildren, Zach, Steven, Madeline, Alexa, Audrey and Spencer.  He witnessed 5,284 of the 5,385 games played by the Mariners since their inception - only health issues or family weddings and funerals could keep Dave from the booth.

Photo from the Seattle PI

Clearly, God needed an announcer, and he drafted the best. I will never forget all the games I went to with a radio and earphones so I could listen to Mr. Niehaus tell me about the game I was watching. He wrote poetry on the fly, and made even the 100 loss seasons interesting. I was so happy for him when in 1995 Edgar doubled in the winning run in the division series, and he called the play. I was overjoyed as a fan, but I was even more overjoyed that this man, who'd called so many stinkers with good humor, was living a dream with the 95 team and he was calling playoff games at long last. I think that the man who loved calling games and teaching us about the game is the poster boy for life well-lived. He said he'd never worked a day, because if he hadn't been in the broadcast booth he'd have been in the stands.  I will miss him every game - though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will always be aware that Mr. Niehaus' sonorous voice is now silent.

Indeed, baseball will never be the same for me.  Mr. Niehaus was more than a great voice, more than a student of the game, more than a trusted figure in the clubhouse, he was a genuine and grounded man who valued each relationship in his life - even his relationship with the Mariners fans, most of whom he never met. 

My memories of Mariner baseball all revolve around Dave, and when I was traveling in the car I'd know instantly when I'd found the Mariners game on the radio dial.  From the lowest growl, "strike one", to the most ebullient "and this one will fly,fly, fly away...My, Oh My", Dave's manner and voice were unmistakable.  I was at the last three games of Junior's consecutive game homer run, the playoff with California in '95, the playoff win over the Yankees.  When Edgar nailed that double and the winning run crossed the plate, I wanted nothing more than to hear what Dave said.  After so many years, so many bad teams, it was a moment that I felt was somehow especially his.  He called blowout losses in a colorful and never beaten down way.  He taught the game to an entire region of fans, play by play, situation by situation.  We knew the look on the manager's face, the feel of a breeze when it kicked up, the excitement of every great play, and the greatness of some plays we might not have noticed were great (like the amazing movement on Jeff Nelson's slider when it was really biting, or an at-bat when Edgar fouled off ten or even fifteen pitches, fighting to get one he could drive). 

I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when a centerfield seat was $1 and I'd be at the game 30-40 times a season when I was in high school. I went with whatever friends I could round up, and even alone sometimes.  I'd have an earphone in one ear and sit at the end of the group of my friends just so I could hear Dave's call of the game and my friends both.  Back then, I was a statistics freak, and it got to the point I could calculate batting averages on the fly during a game.  I secretly hoped I could somehow be a stat guy for the broadcasts, so I could hear Dave every play  of every game (and travel with the team for 162 plus spring training). 

I heard Chuck Armstrong say that he wanted to have the number 162 on his headstone.  I can't think of a better summation of what Dave was.  He was there, almost every game the Mariner's ever played from the first pitch of the first spring training to the conclusion of last season.  35 years of excellence.  I know that the first few games I hear next season, though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will feel a sadness that Dave's voice is missing.  Though he was in the booth and I was in the car, or listening in bed, or listening at the game, I felt somehow that he was speaking to me from the next seat, like a friend I went to the game with.  The fans loved him, and I think he returned the sentiment. 

Rick will do a great job, and has done for 24 seasons now with the M's, and I am glad we have such a fine announcer to step in.  When Pete Gross passed away, it took me a couple of years to get used to the new announcer, and I still miss the sound of Pete saying "Touchdown Seahawks".  I know that I will miss Dave's "My, oh my!", too, and more deeply.  But I'll miss so much more.  It will be a bit like the Mariners will have a new personality, and I know Rick and whomever the team adds to the broadcast booth will do a great job.  But it won't be Dave.  I love the Mariners and have been at the ballpark hundreds of times since the Opening Day that launched the expansion team.  And Dave was my shepherd through the sights, sounds, breezes, brawls, highs and lows of most of those games.  Thank you Mr. Niehaus.  I'll never forget all those hours we shared over baseball - Mariners baseball. 

Godspeed Sir, and may your family be at peace.

Technorati Tags: Dave Niehaus,Mariners Baseball Announcer,Mariners,Seattle Mariners,Baseball Hall of Fame

Shooting on Admiral Way; One man shot by police | West Seattle Herald - Slideshow

Police shot a man last night at a home near the west end of Admiral in West Seattle.  The house, in the Alki area of West Seattle, became known to police when a woman called to report a disturbance and what sounded like a gunshot.  The woman had called a friend living at the home, and she heard screaming followed by what sounded like a gunshot.  The line went dead, and when the friend called back a man answered,  He is said to have been very upset, and to have made suicidal threats.

Police responded and a man was shot by an officer.  Police recovered a pistol and an AK-47, which the assailant leveled at three officers, who then fired.  The man was wounded in the abdomen, and taken to Harborview, where his condition is stable.

When we lived in West Seattle (we loved it there), I never thought of Alki as being high crime area.  And certainly not a violent area.  Recent data shows that while there are some burglaries and thefts,  with the exception of an occasional assault – to be found anywhere in the city from time to time – crimes there are mostly property crimes.  See below:

• Assault on 29XX ALKI AVE SW

• Theft on 46XX SW WALKER ST

• Burglary on 54XX SW GENESEE ST

• Theft on 19XX SUNSET AVE SW

• Theft on 30XX 49TH AVE SW

• Theft on 16XX PALM AVE SW

• Theft on 17XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Burglary on 21XX HALLECK AVE SW

• Burglary on 49XX ERSKINE WAY SW

• Burglary on 26XX WALNUT SW

• Burglary on 30XX 60TH SW

• Vandalism on 38XX SW EDMUNDS ST

• Burglary on 56XX 30TH AVE SW

• Theft on 45XX 42ND AVE SW

• Vandalism on 65XX 40TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 47XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Theft on 80XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Burglary on 35XX 61ST AVE SW

• Arrest on 71XX 47TH AVE SW

• Theft on 38XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 30XX 60TH AVE SW

• Theft on 32XX 40TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 49XX ERSKINE WAY SW

• Theft on 27XX 53RD AVE SW

• Assault on 72XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Theft on 26XX MARINE AVE SW

• Burglary on 54XX 45TH AVE SW

• Theft on 56XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Vandalism on 59XX BEACH DR SW

• Vandalism on 54XX 29TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 47XX 48TH AVE SW

• Theft on 51XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 12XX HARBOR AVE SW

• Theft on 41XX 44TH AVE SW

• Theft on 26XX WALNUT AVE SW

• Theft on 47XX 48TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 32XX BELVIDERE AVE SW

• Theft on 40XX 23RD AVE SW

• Assault on 55XX SW ADMIRAL WAY

• Arrest on 43XX SW ADMIRAL WAY

• Burglary on 34XX 45TH AVE SW

• Theft on 65XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 28XX SW YANCY ST

• Burglary on 30XX GARLOUGH AVE SW

• Vandalism on 26XX 60TH AVE SW

• Theft on 27XX 62ND AVE SW

• Burglary on 40XX 23RD AVE SW

• Theft on 54XX BEACH DR SW

• Theft on 50XX BEACH DR SW

• Theft on 45XX 42ND AVE SW

Neighbor Lance Knight told seattlepi.com he heard two shots, then five he thought would have been from handguns. He said he also heard tires screech.  A woman thought to be at the home has not been located.

SLIDESHOW: Shooting on Admiral Way; One man shot by police | West Seattle Herald / White Center News

Technorati Tags: Seattle. West Seattle,Seattle True Crime,Crime,True Crime,Seattle Police

Seattle Crime Blotter » SPD seeks public’s assistance in recent homicide; Taunting Letter-Writer Found

Seattle Police are looking for anyone who can shed any light on the murder of a twenty year old man.  Contact information and details can be found  HERE.

Author of threatening letters discovered

From the Seattle PI and AP:

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives have cleared up one mystery in the 1987 slayings of a young Canadian couple, but they’re still looking for the killer.

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives have cleared up one mystery in the 1987 slayings of a young Canadian couple, but they’re still looking for the killer.

For 23 years detectives have wondered if the person who sent rambling, taunting letters to the families of the couple was the killer.

The Herald reports investigators got their answer last week. The letters were sent by a mentally ill transient. He is not a suspect.

Detectives continue to look for the killer of the British Columbia couple — 20-year-old Jay Cook and 19-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg — who were on a trip to Seattle. His body was found near Monroe; hers near Alger in Skagit County.

 

Technorati Tags: Seattle Crime,Seattle True Crime,True Crime,Police Blotter

Nekkid but not Nice

This is one of the funnier stories I’ve read.  Sad, for a number of reasons – 19 year old thief, toying with the emotions of the lonely dude, etc.) but funny in a way.  The couple had been communicating virtually after meeting on MySpace.  When the in-person meeting finally arrived, the woman appears to have given the man the impression she was way into him.  Enough to get him in the shower, then step out saying she had a surprise for him.  And she did.  When he finally got suspicious (he says a minute later, I wonder if it was maybe when the hot water ran out, given how much the woman stole), he emerged to find his wallet, cell phone, laptop and then car missing.  I’ll be getting the arrest report here if I can…

Ashley Dawson KOMO TV

Police: Woman seduced date out of clothes, then robbed him

Technorati Tags: crime,true crime,criminals,amusing crime stories,humor,Seattle true crime

17 Year Old Pleads Guilty in Ballard

In July a man described as ‘skinny’, dressed in head-to-toe black clothing and wearing sunglasses entered a convenience store and gas station along 15th Avenue Northeast in Ballard.  He wasn’t there for an energy drink, but to rob the store, and before he left he would shoot and kill a twenty-eight year old man working at the store.

The store employee had been in the stock room at the back of the small store, and when he heard the door open he came out to attend the counter and register.  The suspect crouched down and drew a handgun.  When the clerk saw the suspect he attempted to detain him by grabbing his coat.  The suspect fired twice, hitting the store clerk with both shots, wounds which would prove to be fatal.  The store employee hung on and pressed the attacker onto a counter, but the shooter was able to break free.  He ran from the store and down a side street.  An alert person at the gas pump called 911, summoning police and an ambulance.  The following video is from the store’s surveillance camera.  Be warned that while the video feed does not show the shooting, it shows the moment just prior to it.

When police arrived, they found the victim in grave condition with gunshot wounds to the thigh and torso.  Despite paramedics efforts he died en route to the hospital. 

Police received another call the next day from a concerned resident who had found bloody clothes which had been discarded a block north of the murder scene.  When police came to collect the evidence, an officer noticed a teenaged boy observing the police activity.  The officer approached the young man and spoke with him for a few minutes.  The boy said he’d heard gunshots the previous evening.  The officer took the boy’s name, address and phone contact information and sent him on his way.  A day later SWAT team members surrounded a home two blocks east of the location where the bloodied clothes had been discarded.  The suspect, seventeen year old Elijah Hall, was taken into custody the next day when the crime lab matched his prints to some prints found in the store (and I would speculate that since the kid lived in the area near the store and could argue that his prints were present from shopping at the store, it is likely that his prints were pressed in the victim’s blood on the glass counter.

 

Gas station murder suspect ‘armed and dangerous’ » My Ballard

http://www.myballard.com/2009/11/12/teen-pleads-guilty-to-ballard-murder/

http://www.myballard.com/2009/07/26/gas-station-murder-suspect-armed-and-dangerous/

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010264078_webballarddeath12m.html

http://www.myballard.com/2009/07/27/swat-team-surrounds-ballard-house/

Technorati Tags: Seattle true crime,true crime,crime,Ballard crime,murder

Two Pierce County Deputies In Critical Condition After Another Police Shooting – (Updated)

From Seattle Crime.com

By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee

The Pierce County Sheriff's office says two deputies responded to an Eatonville home shortly before 9:00 p.m. to deal with an "unwanted guest." Police say they received a call about two brother fighting in the home. Police say after deputies were invited into the home, David E. Crable went upstairs, grabbed a gun, and opened fire on the deputies. Both of the deputies were seriously injured, but were able to return fire, killing Crable.

One deputy was taken to Harborview, and the other was flown to an army hospital. Both deputies are reportedly in critical condition.

According to Pierce County court records, Crable has previous convictions for assault and malicious mischief, and was named in at least one domestic violence protection order.

Police have released a photo of Crable:

This makes at least 8 cops in the last two months. Unbelievable.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am truly nauseous just thinking about this.  It has to stop!

This one at first blush looks again like the perp intended to ambush Pierce County Sherriff Deputies when the responded to the domestic call.  Thank God the officers were able to terminate with extreme prejudice this bucket of night soil (didn’t want to be too crass).  This extreme violence against the men and women of our police forces HAS to stop.  Anyone who doesn’t get it that each traffic stop could be a shootout, each domestic call carries with it the volatility to explode into violence like this – in fact, many cops view domestic violence calls as the most volatile and dangerous police call.    This is making me feel sick.  How do we put an end to this disturbing trend?

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/188944.asp

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/index.html

Update: 

The statements from the Pierce County Sherriff have been speaking of it in terms of an ambush. The man who shot the deputies was indeed the homeowner's brother. He had been the subject of the call to 911. Everyone in the house was very cooperative and the brother apparently agreed that since he was hammered he's let the deputies drive him to his own home. He went upstairs to get a jacket, returned concealing a firearm and then opened fire on the deputies from 4-6 feet away. He fired ten shots in rapid sequence. Crabbe was shot and killed when deputies returned fire.
For our men and women in uniform, sad to say, there is no safe situation right now. Even a cooperative guy can become an ambusher in the blink of an eye.

Update:

I think that from what my LE friends have heard, the guy was drunk but very cooperative, acted the Otis part.  He was not being arrested, and was in fact grateful for the ride home that the deputies had offered him.  At least that is what his smiling face and open body language said to the deputies.  It was a tactical error to let the guy go get his coat without accompaniment, no doubt.  I can only speculate that his demeanor, and the fact that he was gladly accepting a ride home rather than charges made the deputies let down their guard for just that moment.  I am hoping against hope that both deputies fully recover and are able to return to duty, and I am glad that albeit in a different way, the deputies gave Cobbe a ride home - straight to hell.

Mike Holmgren to Cleveland

Everything I have heard from people who’ve spent a lot of time with Mariners CEO Leiwicki is that he is well-liked, well-respected and professional.  Certainly, he seems to be taking a measured and thorough approach to re-setting the Seahawk organization for the future.  And unless you’re one of those people who really wanted Mike Holmgren back with the team, a careful and deep look at what this team and organization need to get back to winning – to evaluating talent and getting the most from it; to demanding excellence from player, coach, scout and team staff.

I’d heard several times that Mike Holmgren had come to see himself in a role similar to that of Bill Parcells, as President of a team.  I think that the Seahawks, with a Head Coach suffering through a dismal first season in which he is installing new systems, facing injuries similar in scope and impact to last year’s disastrous injury fest, to the recently departed GM, were in fact, a rather bad fit for Mike Holmgren at this juncture.  Why?  Simply put, the one job Mike seems to have wanted – the job of team president or CEO – was the one job not on the table with the Hawks.  Tod Leiwicki is dialed in to both Vulcan and to sports organization management.  He’s got a golden reputation, and if rumors are to be believed, Owner Paul Allen is very comfortable with what Leiwicki is doing and how he is doing it.

So, much as I love Mike Holmgren, and as strongly as I believe that winning Super Bowls is as much about the Head Coach, or the CEO/GM of a team  exerting his will on the organization, this just isn’t the right situation for the Big Show any longer.  As Owner Paul Allen fights his own high-stakes battle, he will want to know that the man running his sports interests is ‘his guy’, and will maintain continuity even if Mr. Allen is slightly less directly involved for a bit.

Today, the Cleveland Browns got their new President.  A classy, determined, knowledgeable, and absolutely resolute winner with a solid gold resume.  I have no doubt that five or six years from now there will be a dog pound in Cleveland that is watching a week in, week out winner.  Maybe another Super Bowl winner. 

So, am I sad that Mike Holmgren won’t be here?  Yes.  Very much so.  But I am hopeful that Tod Leiwicki will make some deeply reasoned choices that will do what Green Bay leadership did when they brought in an unproven head coach and soon enough won that coveted Super Bowl.  Will the new GM be able to work with the coach already here?  Will the team be able to draft, sign, coach and motivate the kind of improvement  that Coach Mora will need to keep his gig after next season? 

I just don’t know.  If reputations translated to accomplishments in all circumstances, then I’d be pretty durn confident of the Hawks future hire as team GM.  But, as we all know, it is never that neat and tidy.  Even had Mike Holmgren returned it wouldn’t be a clear-cut winning hire. 

I attended nearly every Seahawks home game from 1976 through 1980 – my Dad got our family season tickets and we loved every minute of the Jim Zorn, Steve Largent, Jack Patera era.  Later, in the 80s, I watched every game I could on TV, and when the local station decided to show another team instead, I formed a Sea Hawker fan club and we worked on getting the Hawks on in our area.  I’ve been a fan across the three decades since the founding of the franchise, and I imagine I’ll be a fan as long as the team continues or I do.  I loved having a winner.  I reveled in the 2005 running game, which made Matt completely deadly.  I’ve had bleeding gums and blistered eyes from watching the 2008 and 2009 teams, and for my own health I hope the turnaround is quick!

So, all I can do is wish Holmgren the very best.  He is a great man, and a great football man, and I have no doubt he’ll take what he learned in his time as GM and apply it to make his time as team president a great success.  And then I wish Tod Leiwicki the best in bringing in his team to give Coach Mora the players he needs to win.  And then I wish Coach Mora success.  He has some big shoes both literally and figuratively, to fill. 

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: NFL/Football

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,Seahawks Football,Seattle Sports,NFL Football,Mike Holmgren,Jim Mora

Officer Richards' wife knew he would do his duty, no matter what

There are times when the written or spoken word offer us a glimpse of the experience of the writer or speaker.  Often we simply write and speak in declarations, we make a point or state an opinion.  Only now and then do we choose and dare to open the private shutters to our unique experience and point of view.  In a beautiful, touching and overwhelmingly sad interview with Lynda Mapes of the Seattle Times, Kelly Richards has offered such a glimpse of her experience right now, days after her husband, Officer Greg Richards was killed when Maurice Clemmons ambushed him and three colleagues as they prepared for their shift at a coffee shop.

Officer Greg Richards

Ms. Mapes did a brilliant piece, allowing Kelly Richards experience speak to us from without being overpowered by a narrative.  There are some very powerful insights, things I might not have realized otherwise.  When Ms. Richards heard on the news that four officers had been killed at Cafe Forza, her heart sank and she began to frantically search for information.  She hoped against hope that her husband was not one of the dead, but then she was struck by a realization.  "…what are you hoping, for someone else's wife or husband to be dead?” 

Ms. Richards even recounts discussing a situation where her husband might find himself in a life or death encounter:

"I had always told him, come home to us, get out, find a way out, if you can't shoot and kill him," Richards said. But she said she knew, like his colleagues, he would do his duty, no matter what.”

And,it was Officer Greg Richards who was able to wound Clemmons, before succumbing to his own injuries.  The owner of Cafe Forza says that Officer Richards shielded customers and baristas by charging Clemmons and forcing him out the door, wounding Clemmons before falling himself. I can only imagine how proud Ms. Richards must be, and how desperately she might simultaneously wish her husband had somehow found a way out – a way home.  I’ve linked to Ms. Mapes article below.  It is well worth reading:

Local News | Officer Richards' wife knew he would do his duty, no matter what | Seattle Times Newspaper

By the way, on December 8th and 9th, the very generous 40+ Papa Johns Pizza stores in Western Washington will be donating all profits to the families of these men.  Don’t you think that you will have a special craving for Papa Johns Pizza on Tuesday or Wednesday? Some additional links to stories which might be of interest:

Details on Tuesday memorial for four slain officers

Officer Ronald Owens Obituary

Sergeant Mark Renninger and his son, about two years ago.

Obituary for Sergeant Mark Renninger

Officer Tina Griswold a stickler for safety

Seattle Times Obituary for Officer Griswold

Officer Tina Griswold Memorial

 

Technorati Tags: Police Officers Murdered,Lakewood Police Officers Ambushed,Officer Greg Richards,crime,true crime,Seattle true crime,Papa John's Pizza

Cop Killer Maurice Clemmons Shot to Death

Early this morning, despite a series of SWAT activities at locations police believed that Clemmons might attempt to hide himself, it appears that he was seen and identified by an officer on regular patrol.  When the officer of Seattle Police located the man who killed in cold blood four Lakewood Police officers, he was armed with the sidearm of one of the officers he’d killed. 

Assistant Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel, speaking to reporters this morning, indicated that a single officer noticed a stolen Acura left running along South Kenyan Street.  He approached the car, looked it over and returned to his patrol car to do the paperwork and arrange for the car to be transported.  As he sat in his patrol unit, the officer noticed in his side view mirror that a man was approaching him from behind.  The veteran patrol officer jumped from the car, ordered Clemmons to halt and put his hands up. Chief Pugel said that Clemmons began to ran. Unwilling to allow the four-time killer to escape, the patrol officer fired three or four rounds, killing Clemmons.

This photo, taken by Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com, shows several Seattle Police Officers looking at Clemmons body as it is loaded into an ambulance for transport to the medical examiner.  Trujillo and several of his colleagues probably worked almost without a break since Sunday morning, and have used Twitter to keep each other and some of us who follow them on that service up to speed on what each is seeing.

Troyer has said that Clemmons had told several relatives and friends to watch the news on Sunday because he was “going to kill a bunch of cops.”  Apparently none of them reported the threat, and the next morning Clemmons acted on it.  As suspected all day, Clemmons had been wounded in the torso, severely enough that Ed Troyer was somewhat surprised that he could get away. 

A relative treated the wound on Sunday night, before it was joined by three or four additional gunshot wounds when Clemmons approached the Seattle patrol officer from the rear, then ran when the officer spun around and saw him. 

Ed Troyer of the Peirce County Sherriff’s Department met with reporters early Tuesday morning.  According to Troyer, three arrests have been made for "rendering criminal assistance" to Clemmons in his flight. Additionally, a fourth person is being detained for assisting Clemmons in escaping from the Parkland area after Sunday's shooting.  Troyer also said he expects that an additional six or seven arrests will be made: "Some are friends, some are acquaintances, some are partners in crime, some are relatives," Troyer said. "Now they're all partners in crime."

Troyer said that family members were supplying Clemmons with cell phones, money and were working on getting him transported out of state.  Troyer has also said that Clemmons had attempted to draw his pistol when the SPD officer ordered him to stop and show his hands.

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cliff Despeaux of the Seattle Times, who also must have been working since Sunday morning on this story (Despeaux tweeted that he began his day covering the Seattle Marathon on Sunday before the awful call came in and he headed to Parkland.  He worked most of the next 48 hours shadowing SWAT teams as they fanned out to cut Clemmons off from additional aid from family and friends.  The above photo is of the location where Clemmons was killed.  His twitter account was ‘tweeting’ steadily for both days.

Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar came to the site of where Clemmons was killed early this morning.  Farar said "I just want to thank all my brothers and sisters in law enforcement," he said. "I just can't say enough about what they've done in the last few days."

Update 1 (December 1, 2009)

Seattle Police Officer Benjamin L. Kelly has been identified as the officer who ended the criminal activities and life of the man responsible for killing in cold blood four police officers on Sunday, as well as a long string of assaults, armed robberies and most recently, charges that he raped a child.  "It was incredible police work. He's an incredible officer. He is nothing short of a hero, although he would bristle at being called that," according to  Seattle Police Officers Guild president Rich O'Neill.  He added that Officer Kelly values his privacy and doesn’t seek the limelight.

"I told him, 'You caught the suspect responsible for the worst police massacre in Washington state history. You need to take a deep breath and soak that in.' ", O’Neill added.  “He was alone, and was confronted by this guy, and knew it was him. "He wouldn't put his hands out, and to later find that he had the dead officer's gun on his person, one can only assume what he was approaching (Kelly) for". 

Seattle police have said today that it is believed that the scene, beginning with a stolen car parked with the hood up and motor running, certainly suggested an attempt by Clemmons to ambush another officer.  Assistant Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel has said Clemmons approached Kelly from behind, when Kelly noticed him  approaching, he jumped from the squad car to disarm and arrest Clemmons.  

Technorati Tags: Breaking News,Crime,Criminals,Seattle true crime,true crime,Lakewood Police Officers Ambushed,Maurice CLemmons

Seattle Police Do Not Have Suspected Lakewood Shooter Cornered in Leschi Neighborhood or Cowan Park, Relative Arrested After Renton House Surrounded and Cleared (Updated)

Seattle police, following a lead that a relative of Maurice Clemmons – the man Pierce County Sherriff spokesman Ed Troyer has called a person of interest in the shooting deaths of four officers

in Lakewood – lives in a home in the Leschi neighborhood in Seattle, have apparently cornered Clemmons in a trailer at the rear of the home.  This is the same neighborhood where officers Brenton and Sweeny of Seattle PD were ambushed last month.  Scanner traffic appears to be saying that SWAT is deployed at the property and a police negotiator is in contact with Clemmons.  The woman who owns the property has told police that Clemmons came to her home wounded, and went to the trailer shortly after that.  No word on how serious his injuries may be.

Update 1 (November 29,2009 2:30 AM)

As I write this, Seattle Swat has moved very close to the trailer and has fired over a dozen canisters of tear gas.  Tweets of a Seattle PI photographer indicate that they have been approaching the trailer while waiting for the tear gas to take effect.  It is 2:30 in Seattle and the scanner indicates that units from all over Seattle are involved in this situation – blocking the suspect’s egress, sealing off the area streets, organizing evacuation of nearby residents to a safe location – they’ve brought in a bus to give the displaced people a place to wait out the events.

At about 2:34 AM the AP reported shots have been fired, but there is no confirmation of this on the scanner, or by the photojournalist whose Tweets I am following.  His name is Cliff DesPeaux, and he is a Seattle Times staffer.  The Seattle Times has learned that Clemmons was released on bail on the child rape charge in Pierce County just one week ago.  At 2:38 AM police were heard by several reporters to have issued a twenty minute ultimatum to Clemmons – if he does not surrender they will enter the trailer and take him into custody.

Update 2 (November 30, 2009 3:05 AM)

Follow developments live if you wish via scanner at KOMO emergency scanner .  A very interesting article about the suspect’s history and recent erratic behavior is found here.  The Twitter page for the Seattle Times Cliff Despeaux, who has been tweeting from the scene is at Despeaux Twitter.  PI reporter Casey McNerthy  (McNerthy Twitter) is saying that Pierce County Spokesman Ed Troyer has said the suspect may be deceased, but no other sources on scene are saying this.  Still no confirmation on scene of any shots fired.  The reports that the suspect has been shot, and may be seriously wounded or deceased are coming from Pierce County and NOT the scene in Seattle.  Pierce County Sherriff spokesman Ed Troyer has indicated that the suspect was wounded, probably seriously, at the scene of this mornings shootings.  There is no indication that he has been wounded again where he is holed up in the trailer.  Still no confirmation on shots fired.  It appears that police negotiator has been speaking to Clemmons through a bullhorn.  No indication from here that he has been responding.  The woman at the home told Seattle Police that he is in the trailer and had been wounded.

Update 3 (November 30, 2009 3:25 AM)

Seattle Police are also looking for a twenty year old man driving a white Buick, older model type.   The man has multiple convictions for assault and drug crimes.

Scanner traffic has dropped WAY off.  Police units on the scene have been told that they will be held over for the duration of the situation.  Some senior officers believe the standoff will end soon, others think it will last until morning.  There is no sign that police are moving into the trailer and no shots have been fired.  Speculation that the suspect may be deceased due to the wounds he received earlier in the shootout in Lakewood, if accurate, could account for the non-responsiveness on scene.

As of 3:40 AM, the scene is brightly lit, sealed off by SWAT (including a KCS armored vehicle) and no activity – apparently just waiting.

Pierce County Sherriff spokesman Ed Troyer has confirmed that police are holding several people who are believed to have helped Clemmons today after the shooting.  No word on whether they will be charged.  Clemmons has been in jail for a couple of months on the child rape charge.  He made bail, and has been acting very strangely recently according to reports.  The shootings this morning may have been simply because he was enraged over being incarcerated.  Which itself may be an indication of state of mind, since he was in jail recently for a total of eight or nine felonies recently, and has been in jail or prison frequently since he was eighteen.  His sentence in Arkansas was commuted due to his young age at sentencing (eighteen) and the recommendation of the parole board.  I wonder if the presiding judge in the pending cases in Pierce County knew of his extensive record in Arkansas when he set bail at $150,000.  That seems low for so many pending felonies.

There are now two reports that the trailer Clemmons had been hiding in at the rear of a relative’s home has been found empty.  This is not confirmed yet.  As the activity has dropped off, and I got up at 2 for a glass of water, I think I’ll get the water and then I am off to bed. Will update further in the AM, or you may check the Seattle Times or PI websites for any breaking updates.  I hope they can pick this guy up soon.

House in Leschi, scene of last night’s SWAT action.

Update 4 (November 30, 2009 4:06)

Seattle Police entered the trailer where multiple murder suspect Maurice Clemmons had reportedly been hiding.  Following tear gas and flash bang charges, used to disorient the person inside the trailer, Seattle Swat entered and found the trailer empty.  The house and trailer belong to an aunt of Clemmons,  who had informed police that he was hiding there.  No word whether he had been in the trailer and left prior to police arriving, or the information from the relative was faulty.  Police have virtually sealed of the Leschi neighborhood – an unfortunately familiar action since this is also the neighborhood where Timothy Brenton was ambushed last month.  Pierce County police and possibly other jurisdictions have taken several people into custody who helped Clemmons today.  They have learned from these people that Clemmons was wounded, perhaps seriously, and possibly fatally. 

Update 5 (November 30, 2009)

Between blood found at the coffee shop and blood found outside the aunt's house yesterday, police are relatively sure that Clemmons was the shooter, and was present at the house police sealed off last night.  He left in the approximately one hour between the time he was dropped off and police reached the home.  Two witnesses reported seeing him exiting a bus in the University District (near the University of Washington campus).  He is reputed to have had four rifles and a shotgun available to him. 

The guy is clearly seriously nuts, having forced members of his immediate and extended family to strip naked and spend at least five minutes every Sunday naked.  He also is convinced he can fly, and is Jesus. 

With the dearth of sightings today,  I am left to wonder if he is indeed laying in a hedge or overgrown ravine today, having lost a great deal of blood.  About 1 PM this afternoon, Police near Cowen Place and Ravenna Blvd. have found a blood trail that begins at a King County Metro bus stop and leads off into Cowen Park.  It has been searched by K9 and police units. Officers are patrolling the area heavily this evening.

A Tweeter (http://twitter.com/generalgentry) produced this map to illustrate the areas police have been searching and focusing on today:

Map of Renton Location Currently being surrounded.

There are reports of flash bangs being detonated five minutes ago at this address in Renton.  KOMO News is on the scene and reporting:  http://www.komonews.com/news/78184447.html.

More as warranted.

Update 6 (November 30, 2009)

The Brenton family has issued the following statement  through the Seattle Police Department.  What a classy family!  The statement:

Brenton family statement

The Brenton family has asked the Seattle Police Department to release the below  statement in light of the four Lakewood police officers killed in the line of duty.

Our hearts ache for the families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens and Officer Gregory Richards.  We pray that they will be granted strength during this time of unbearable grief.  Our thoughts are also with the officers of the Lakewood Police Department who continue to provide public safety services to the citizens of Lakewood.  Their families are painfully aware of the risks that are inherent in their loved ones’ chosen profession.

We remain hopeful for the swift capture of the monster who robbed them of their husband, wife, father, mother, son and daughter.

Our family has been comforted by the citizens of Seattle, the Pacific Northwest and beyond who have offered their prayers and support over the past weeks.  For this, we are thankful.

We will ask for one thing more.  Please support the families of the Lakewood officers in the same way you helped us in the days and weeks after Tim’s murder.  We have asked that the Brenton Family Assistance Fund be closed.  Anyone wishing to provide any financial support should devote it to the Lakewood Police Independent Guild.  They will ensure that this will be provided to the families of these fallen heroes.

Donations can be mailed to:

Lakewood Police Independent Guild
PO Box 99579
Lakewood, WA 98499

Donations can also be made on their Web site, http://www.lpig.us

We know that Tim has been joined by Mark, Tina, Ronald and Greg.  We will forever hold their memory dear, honoring their love and sacrifice in service to us all.

Update 7 (November 30,2009)

Finally have received confirmation from multiple sources of the report this morning from ABC that police have definitely recovered the murder weapon, matched by ballistics.

SWAT has taken a relative of Clemmons into custody, arrested on charges aiding the suspected multiple murderer in his flight from police.  Pierce County Sherriff is on site at the Renton SWAT action.  Police have released information that indicates Clemmons was still bleeding when he arrived at the Leschi house police surrounded last night.  Police are also indicating that family members and friends of Clemmons may be calling in false tips to throw police investigators off the trail.  He had access to several shotgun bean bags

Pierce County Sherriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer has said that the office is considering filing obstruction charges against KING TV and the station’s chopper after the helicopter repeatedly (up to four times) interfered with police activity, and police helicopter flight.  The Sherriff’s office indicated that numerous calls to KING were ignored and suggested that if it happens again then all the media present would be removed, and all helicopters held outside the immediate area.  He also suggested that media outlets call KING and let them know that such additional violations would be very much unwelcomed by their fellow news teams.

Multiple murder suspect Maurice Clemmons was not found in the Renton house which police and Swat Units responded this afternoon,  though a member of Clemmons family was taken into custody for making false statements and impeding the investigation.  There are now several possibilities for a wounded Clemmons ranging from on the run in Renton (photo shows SWAT entering a home Clemmons had been reported at CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES),

dead in an area of underbrush or other cover, or possibly being harbored and receiving limited treatment for his leg wound, possibly by a family member or friend of a family member.  The most recent statement from the Pierce County investigators indicates that evidence indicates that Clemmons had been wounded in the abdomen at the coffee shop, and is almost certainly being aided in both remaining alive and in remaining at large.  In addition to the Leschi and Renton reports, witnesses have reported sightings of a man resembling Clemmons getting off a bus in the U District, along Phinney Ridge in Greenwood, and even at a former address on Queen Anne Hill. 

Below is another photo of Maurice Clemmons, released by KIRO News via a tweet:

 

Technorati Tags: Breaking News,Crime,Criminals,Seattle true crime,true crime,Lakewood Police Officers Ambushed

Four Police Officers Killed in Lakewood (Updated)

It is too early to say what the suspect’s motivation was for this ambush of four police officers south of Seattle in Lakewood.  This morning about 8:30 as the officers were preparing to go on duty, a man walked into the coffee shop and opened fire.  Killed were three men and one woman, from the Lakewood Police Department.  The officers identities have not been released pending notification of families.  The officers were in uniform, doing pre-shift paperwork on their laptops when the ambush began.  All were wearing their bulletproof vests.  Spokesman Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sherriff has said that it is not yet known if any of the officers were able to return fire. 

Investigators have tagged and towed a light-colored pickup truck they believe to be the getaway vehicle, and are pursuing multiple search warrants.  Troyer has said that police do not suspect gang involvement at this time, saying that it would be very unusual for gang members to call attention to themselves in this way.  Police were involved in a standoff in a residence a few blocks from the location at which the pickup was discovered about two hours after the shootings.   The suspect is described as a black male between 5’8 and 5’9, in his late twenties or thirties.  His facial hair is ‘scruffy’ and he was wearing a black coat and blue jeans.  Another man may have been with him and fled with the suspect in the white pickup later recovered. 

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information in the case.

Update 1 (November 29,2009)

Police have indicated that the suspect walked into the cafe, past the officers, who were all working on their laptops preparing for their upcoming shift.  The suspect walked to the counter and pretended to order.  He then opened his coat.  The barista saw his handgun and ran out the back door.  The man then turned and shot two officers at close range in the head.  As a third officer stood to bring a weapon to bear the suspect shot again, fatally wounding that officer.  Finally, the fourth officer was shot as that officer brought a weapon to bear.  Though officer was fatally wounded, the officer grasped the suspect and struggled with him to the doorway of the cafe.  It is uncertain if the officer died there of wounds inflicted as he or she rose from their chair, or if he or she was shot again in the doorway.  Investigators believe that the officer got off at least one, and perhaps several shots.  It is unknown if the suspect was hit.

Pierce County Sherriff spokesman Ed Troyer indicated that police are looking at an Arkansas man as a person of interest.  He is

Maurice Clemmons, and he has a long criminal record for armed robberies, assaults, child rape, assault on a police office.  He apparently has been seen in the area and fits the description.  Clemmons had been pardoned in 2000 after serving a fraction of his sentence of 95 years.  I am looking into the history of the pardon to see what convinced Governor Mike Huckabee to grant the pardon.  Clemmons was arrested and charged in Pierce County for third-degree assault on a police officer, and second-degree rape of a child.  He has not, to my knowledge, been identified as the shooter, but fits the description and his recent arrest for assaulting an officer makes him a person of interest.

The officers, an entire patrol squad of three officers and their sergeant, have been identified as Tina Griswold, Greg Richards, Ronald Owens, and Sergeant Mark Renninger.  More than a hundred officers responded to the radio call from dispatch, and many of them from surrounding jurisdictions were on their own time.  A motorcade of dozens of police cars and motorcycles with lights flashing escorted the officers remains to the medical examiner’s office.  They passed beneath a large American flag suspended from two ladder trucks – something I had hoped not to see again in the Seattle Area in my lifetime.  It has become necessary far too soon after the loss of Timothy Brenton. 

The founder of Cafe Forza, a man named Brad Carpenter, is himself a retired policeman.  He indicates that several of his staff that witnessed the attack are still meeting with police trying to recreate a timeline and diagram the events as they happened.  Needless to say, they are pretty upset and it has been painful for them to go through it in detail.  

Police are identifying video surveillance locations and analyzing surveillance videos for any leads they may hold.

Cafe Forza Lakewood, WA

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Police-officers-shot-78089882.html 

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/186610.asp

Local News | Four police officers shot to death in Lakewood in apparent ambush | Seattle Times Newspaper

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78088192.html

Technorati Tags: Police officers shot,police ambushed,crime,criminals,murder,true crime,Seattle crime,Tacoma

Are M's interested in trade for Overbay?/ $200 million for King Felix?

The Seattle PI Mariners Blog is carrying a report from the baseball meetings this week in Chicago.  Several sources have indicated that the Mariners are talking about a trade to bring Overbay to Seattle to play first base.  The timing of the rumors and reports are interesting as the Mariners first baseman Russell Branyan, who had a breakout year this season before a herniated disc shut him down, turned down a one year contract offer by the Mariners, saying he’d like to get a two year deal.  The Mariners may be wary of a 34 year old first baseman with a herniated disc – probably with good reason – and Overbay has similar numbers to Branyan (though he had roughly half the homers in an almost equal number of at-bats).  Are the M’s letting slip a bit about the negotiations with Toronto to let Branyan know they have options?  I think they want him back – they’d not have made a one-year offer otherwise – but perhaps due to his back they want to minimize the downside if it is serious and lingering.  That’s smart.  Personally, I’d love to see Branyan back and healthy all year.  He got his first chance to play every day with the Mariners, and before the back injury he responded very well to the chance to hit against both left and right handed pitching. 

Are M's interested in trade for Overbay?

I was listening to the morning show on KJR Sportsradio 950 this morning and Mitch Levy mentioned a report from the meetings in Chicago that the Yankees could conceivably offer Felix Hernandez a contract worth as much as $200 million, guaranteed.  The discussion was over whether the Mariners were going to try and sign him to an extension, despite two years remaining on his current contract.  Could the M’s get him for $125 now, by allowing him to start making the bigger bucks sooner?  Who knows?  One thing is certain: If King Felix continues to pitch anywhere near what he did this year over the next two seasons, he’ll be a brilliant, dominant number one starter with more than six seasons of major league experience, and possibly another 12-14 years to pitch in the major leagues.  But $200 million guaranteed?  Holy Cow!

Technorati Tags: Felix Hernandez,Seattle Mariners,baseball,free agents,Mariners trades,Mariners players,Russell Branyan

Person of Interest in Seattle Police Officer Shot

Just minutes after the memorial service for Officer Tim Brenton concluded, Seattle Police Detectives shot and critically wounded a 41 year old man they believe to be the man who both shot officers Brenton and Sweeny as well as torching four police cars at a maintenance lot on October 22.  The man, Christopher Monfort, a recent UW student and former security guard, is alternately described as being gregarious or withdrawn according to a number of people who knew him and spoke with reporters. 

Monfort graduated from the University of Washington in 2008 and studied Law, Society and Justice.  He participated in the McNair Scholars Program which is designed to prepare students for graduate work.  According to the Seattle Times he worked on a paper advocating jury nullification as a means to level the playing field for minorities.  He intended to expand on the ideas of a law professor from Georgetown University, Paul Butler, who goes as far as advocating that juries reject judges instructions and acquit black defendants without regard to the evidence.  Butler has even stated that it is the duty of black jurors to “emancipate” some black “outlaws”.  Butler at least included a caveat that the persons a jury should acquit even if guilty ought to be charged with non-violent crimes.

Monfort apparently had a significant interest in the justice system, and particularly in changing it through jury activism.  He had difficulty his first attempt at college, but according to a former professor when he returned to college he did very well, having found a subject that interested him:  criminal justice.  Recently Monfort had worked as a truck driver and a waiter, and volunteered at Youth Services, working with young people in trouble and teaching them about the justice system.  I wonder what he was teaching them and will be interested to hear the accounts of some young people he worked with there.  He was recently laid off as a security guard .  He has been described as gregarious, and was seen as a leader by students and professors at Highline Community College, which he attended prior to the University of Washington.  Others have called him withdrawn.  One former landlady said that he had never had a visitor to his apartment in the year he lived in her home.  She also said that he wanted to be a police officer.

Police received a tip from a citizen on Friday, after releasing photos of the Datsun B210 (1980-1983 model years) and soliciting the public’s help in locating it.  There are eighteen light colored B210 models from those model years, and police had checked on each of them.  When they did not find a suspect through the vehicles registered in Washington, Seattle Police decided to release the photos in the hope that someone would have noticed a car matching the description and photo.  It didn’t take long, as police received a tip that a man living in an apartment complex in Tukwila had such a car, and had kept it covered under a canvas car cover since Halloween night. 

(Screen cap of images from KOMO News helicopter)

Monfort had been under surveillance most of the day Friday, and it was when he left his apartment just minutes after the conclusion of the memorial service for Officer Tim Brenton that Seattle police approached him.  KING 5 News is reporting that it was actually Seattle Swat that approached Monfort when he exited his apartment building.  Monfort turned and ran, and when he realized he was blocked from escape he turned and attempted to shoot officers with a handgun.  Three Seattle Police Officers returned fire, hitting Monfort in the head and possibly elsewhere.  I noted a large pool of blood on the lower left side of Monfort’s back as he was laying on the ground waiting for an ambulance.  A Harborview spokesperson indicated that he had two injuries, though some accounts only mention the head wound.  Seattle Police virtually locked down Harborview when the man was brought there, protecting the suspected killer from any citizen who might have been outraged by his actions – judging from the comments in a variety of news sources, there is a tremendous sense of anger directed at the shooter of Officer Brenton.  He remains at Harborview under custody.

Monfort made different impressions on various people.  A former professor at Highline Community College described him as a natural leader, and said he had expected Monfort to do well, to do important things.  He expressed shock at the idea that Monfort was a murderer, let alone the assassin of Officer Brenton.    At highline he was outgoing and engaged with others, running for, and winning a seat in the student senate.  Several people who have lived in the same building with Monfort have described him as being ‘weird’ and a ‘know-it-all, and his former landlady in Pasadena indicated that he wanted to be an LA Police Officer but was unable to get hired.  It appears at this point that Monfort had a different way about him when he was at work or studying as opposed to when he was at home. 

He fits the police profile in a few ways:

• He had experienced a recent personal crisis when he was laid off as a security guard. 
• He had wanted to be a policeman and drove a car associated with police use – note the Crown Victoria parked next to the Datsun.  The black Crown Vic has a searchlight on the drivers side and is hard to distinguish from the police Crown Vic parked just behind the cars, blocking them in.
• He worked in a security job – something the profile indicated he would possibly do.
• He engaged in behaviors that neighbors noticed.  It was the combination of the new cover on his Datsun and his strange behavior that ultimately got police a tip.  Several neighbors have described him as weird, different, etc. He had made a strange impression on another when he was asked to lower the volume on his electric guitar last week.  Strange impressions do not, of course, make a person a killer, but if you are a killer it can sure get you noticed.
• I am not sure that Monfort fits this element of the profile – that the suspect would be overly interested in the news of the Brenton case – but I have a feeling he was indeed following the story closely.  Why?  Because he exited his apartment as the memorial service for officer Brenton concluded.  Leaving his apartment on Friday at that time (he’d not been out all day) is just too much of a coincidence for me.  I think he was watching the memorial on television.

No word yet this morning about Monfort’s condition at Harborview, but he was in surgery for many hours last night and had been in critical condition at the update from Harborview.  Police waited for a search warrant to look over the Datsun, and likely the Crown Vic associated with Monfort.  No word on his weapons history or proficiency, at least not yet.  He had no criminal record in Washington or in California.  There is also no known motive yet, though he was vocal that police disproportionally target blacks, and wanted juries to start releasing black offenders to compensate for the alleged targeting of blacks over whites in criminal activities.  When he was unable to get hired as an officer, and lost his job as a security guard, perhaps Monfort became angry at police.

There is also a growing belief that Monfort was the person who fire bombed the Seattle Police maintenance yard in October.  A note left at that scene threatened to kill a police officer in retaliation for alleged police brutality.  The note cited the case of a King County Sherriff’s deputy who recently was fired and prosecuted for assaulting a prisoner in his custody.  If indeed Monfort was the firebomber, then clearly he has made a study of pipe bombs, and likely firearms as well.

It was a sad day yesterday, and the sense of loss Seattle expressed over the death of a good man, the sadness of his family and friends, the anxiety the murder of Officer Brenton caused law enforcement throughout the area all weighed heavy on a gloomy and stormy day.  If Monfort is the cause of all that sadness and loss, then I am glad the police were able to find him.  The day was a little brighter when I noticed several times officers leaving the memorial service for Officer Brenton giving each other high-fives.  Minutes later, news of the shooting in Tukwila began, and I got to a television as quickly as possible.  Few of us who are not wearing a badge are capable of empathizing with the daily experience of policemen.  Most of the time, they see us at our worst in life, and seldom at our best.  Adding to that, this week, was the grief of loss and high-alert required while a person who ambushed and murdered a policeman remained at large.  I hope that the family of Officer Brenton will ultimately find peace, and if capturing the man who killed their father and husband, son and brother can give them some solace.

Update 1 (Nov. 7):

Christopher John Monfort has been upgraded to serious condition at Harborview.  They may be saving his life to preserve him for trial and perhaps a death sentence.  Of course, medical personnel have a duty to save every life, and police are guarding Monfort professionally despite what must be strong feelings.  Let’s hope the case is made and Monfort receives the sentence he deserves, if indeed he is the murderer.  A friend of Monfort’s mother, who cannot believe he would do this, has said that she thinks he was running away when police said they wanted to talk with him because he had a fear of being targeted because of his race.  I don’t know if that’s the reason he ran – it might have had something to do with the car he had covered, hoping to hide it? – but pulling a gun, and according to King County Sherriff's spokesman John Urquhart, Monfort actually pulled the trigger and his pistol misfired or was unloaded as it didn’t discharge a round. 

I have also noted that while he didn’t have a record he did have a recent traffic infraction – driving without insurance – and that may be the source of his grievance with police.  I also wonder if his recent termination as a security guard was as a result of the violation?  We’ll see how it pans out.

Update 2 (Nov. 7)

According to Deputy Chief Jim Pugel, police have impounded two cars that belonged to the suspect shot yesterday after he brandished a handgun at officers with Seattle Police Department.  The cars, an early 1980s Datsun B210 which had been under a car cover since Halloween night, and a black Crown Victoria which closely resembles unmarked police units.  Police have not yet processed the cars, but have processed the apartment of the suspect, and as a result Pugel announced that the man had a several weapons and homemade explosive devices in his apartment.  The bomb squad had to disarm the devices before they could be removed.  Police also found bomb-making materials, a handgun and two rifles in the apartment.  Officers believe that the reason the suspect bolted for his apartment door when officers approached him in the apartment complex parking lot is that he was attempting to get to another weapon inside his apartment.  The pistol he carried with him either was not loaded or misfired when he pulled the trigger.

Police are also saying that they have found items that connect Monfort to both the murder of Officer Brenton and the firebombing of police vehicle at the maintenance yard.  The firebomber left fliers about police brutality which referred to an assault by a sheriffs deputy recently.  Investigators will be comparing the rifles with the weapon used in the murder.  Monfort remains in serious condition under arrest and guard at Harborview.

Update 3 (Nov. 7):

Police sources have identified the item found at both the site of Officer Brenton’s murder and the fire bombing of SPD vehicles on October 22.  At each site, investigators found an American flag.  This particular item also seems to reinforce Monfort’s connection to the two crimes, as he has said that like the professor he wished to augment, his goal was to subvert the American system of justice because he believed it unfair to African Americans. 

Records indicate that the citation Monfort received because he did not have insurance was issued on October 16, just six days before the fire bombing at the maintenance yard. 

Seattle Weekly made an interesting observation in an online comment concerning Monfort, suggesting that it seems quite possible that the idealistic statements he made, combined with an ego which believed he was ‘unique’ and ‘special’ because he ‘actually wanted’ justice could turn into something bitter when he didn’t receive the treatment or position he felt he deserved.  Police officers may have become the target because he became disillusioned when he couldn’t get hired as a policeman, when the ticket cost him his security job, or perhaps even when he saw the news on October 27 that prosecutors in Everett would prosecute an Everett Police Officer with first degree manslaughter for an unjustifiable shooting? 

An interesting comment posted to the Weekly’s blog article about Monfort purports to be from Monfort’s brother – I am not sure how he could be Monfort’s brother unless perhaps he is a half brother by Monfort’s father.  Police have said Monfort is an only child:

Ronald Taylor says:

“Chris was not a terrorist. He loved and respected the law. His track record not only exemplifies that, but also his ideals reflected his commitment to support the community, a community which includes law enforcement. These allegations are preposterous. It seems when a man of color pursues greatness he is tracked down like a run-away slave when it is obvious that he has God-given abilities. Take time to reflect on his life and his track record. Do his past actions look even remotely close to the allegations this police department is making? Who saw the incident? What witnesses do the police have? I know my brother and I know he is no criminal. From what I understand from the community in Seattle, the police department has been known to abuse black males. Living in Los Angeles during the riots, this looks very similar in police tactics to me. I would hope you would use your publication as a vehicle to find what the "truth" truly is. Not only are they trying to kill my brother, but they are trying to kill his reputation as an honest, brilliant, focused, hard-working African-American man. If you need some background information that is truthful and unbiased you can contact me at any time. Please do not hide nor withhold this email from anyone. We have nothing to hide. Also, tell the police department to let Christopher's mother see him in the hospital. That's her right as a mother. Thank you.

Ronald Taylor”

I will work on the question of family members of Monfort and report further when information becomes available.

Links:

http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2009/11/06/officer-involved-shooting-brenton-inv-continues/

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010221236_suspect07m.html

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Police-involved-shooting-in-Des-Moines-69420032.html

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/69463572.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010224861_apwaseattleofficerkilled.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIJTkHe5NcnxBL030Hz_ss2OVotAD9BQQNHO0

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/411932_shooting06.html

 

Technorati Tags: True Crime,Crime,Seattle Police Officer Shot,Seattle,Seattle Crime,Shots fired,Manhunt,Christopher John Monfort,Officer Tim Brenton

Seattle Police Make Arrest in 25 Year Old Case

From Seattle PI Crime Blog writer Casey McNerthney: –( Link)

A 50-year-old man was arrested Friday for an August 1984 cold case that was reopened three years ago, police said.

Gracey, a retired furrier seamstress lived alone in the house and was found in her bed by three neighbors who entered the house after their calls went unanswered.

Officers said DNA linked the suspect to the crime earlier this year. Seattle Police Det. Mike Ciesynski told the Seattle Times the man arrested was Gracey's neighbor and his mother was a friend of the victim.

Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel acknowledged the Times article but would not elaborate on the case. Officers said the suspect was arrested at police headquarters.

Gracey's son, Gilbert Bagley, told the P-I in 1984 his mother had been concerned about prowlers and had been burglarized once before. Bagley, who lived in Spokane, died April 26.

Read the 1984 report here.

McNerthney and his colleagues at the Seattle PI Blogs are part of one of the first online-only efforts, and thus far the results have been very good – according to this article in the New York Times:

“Industry analysts called it a long-shot experiment, but Seattle PI.com has kept most of the reader traffic it had as a newspaper site. Hearst will not say whether it makes money, but it says that audience and revenue are ahead of projection.”  (Seattle Times Resurgent as Solo Act)  The reference is in an article primarily outlining the great financial results of the Seattle Times, since the PI print version was halted.

Technorati Tags: DNA evidence,Cold Case,Seattle Cold Case,Seattle PI,Seattle Times