Slog
News & ArtsSaturday, May 2, 2009
Crime Teen Shot at Alki Beach
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Sat, May 2, 2009 at 6:10 AM
A teenager was shot in the back at Alki Beach last night.
According to police, the teen was standing with a group of friends in the 2600 block of Alki Avenue SW when a gunman fired at the group from across the street, striking the teen in the back.
The teen was transported to Harbvorview with life-threatening injuries. Homicide and gang units were on scene following the shooting.
1
man were there a lot of police cars at Alki last night... as well as a lot of people enjoying the first really nice evening in a while
3
Is it even possible to make a getaway on Alki? It's like shooting someone on the side of 405 in rush hour...
4
More people will die in Seattle this year due to gang violence than Swine Flu. Do you think anybody will freak out and organize the city to fight gangs? The whole Swine Flu business is complete bullshit. There's no confirmed cases in the state, by all accounts this is milder than they expected and nobody else has died in Mexico from it recently. If people would care about something REAL like gang violence instead of a media scare tactic like Swine Flu, perhaps we'd be one step closer to improving our lives in the city.
7
Okay #4 just how to do you propose we "fight gang violence"?
Unless your answer is to legalize drugs you might as well be cutting the heads off a hydra.
Unless your answer is to legalize drugs you might as well be cutting the heads off a hydra.
8
@7 more community outreach is a start. Considering the gang violence is based in only a handful neighborhoods. And these aren't kids fighting over drugs or territory. There killing each other because they're stupid kids adhering to a fucked up and outdated lifestyle.
Do you suggest we do nothing?
Do you suggest we do nothing?
9
yeah, coming from detroit i have to strongly agree w/ you #6. seattle is not anything close to detroit in regards to shootings and violent crimes.
10
1. Massive gun control. Yes it will take 25 years. Yes, requires new Supreme Court. But if kids have guns they are a gonna use them.
2. Implement W. Europe style social democratic policies which give more employment, bigger safety net, and more funding for school and college. They don't have these gangs in France and Sweden or Spain or Italy or Ireland.
3. Legalize drugs. There's some overlap with gangs. And the drug trade just promotes violence and guns and provides jobs to the 17-25 year olds which are not good role models for the teenagers.
4. Education reform like Obama wants. Our public school systems largely suck in the big cities.
5. Make ending youth violence part of a national program to be globally competitive. We can't succeed as a nation if the bottom 25% of our folks are uneducated and many of them go into gangs. They need to become engineers.
IOW "change." Call it socialism if you like.
Problem solved, thank you very much.
2. Implement W. Europe style social democratic policies which give more employment, bigger safety net, and more funding for school and college. They don't have these gangs in France and Sweden or Spain or Italy or Ireland.
3. Legalize drugs. There's some overlap with gangs. And the drug trade just promotes violence and guns and provides jobs to the 17-25 year olds which are not good role models for the teenagers.
4. Education reform like Obama wants. Our public school systems largely suck in the big cities.
5. Make ending youth violence part of a national program to be globally competitive. We can't succeed as a nation if the bottom 25% of our folks are uneducated and many of them go into gangs. They need to become engineers.
IOW "change." Call it socialism if you like.
Problem solved, thank you very much.
11
@10
1. Nigga please.
2. No gangs in Europe???? No gangs in Europe??? Are you out of your fucking mind???
3. Agreed.
4. Agreed.
5. Agreed.
1. Nigga please.
2. No gangs in Europe???? No gangs in Europe??? Are you out of your fucking mind???
3. Agreed.
4. Agreed.
5. Agreed.
12
Damn, I was down there last night. It was swarming with teenagers; especially by Pepperdock. We must have left for home right before it happened.
13
I was about 100 feet away from this when it happened, running the other way (I jog. I'm bad at it).
Figured it was just some jackass setting off firecrackers, until every patrol car in the city turned on the sirens.
What none of the reports have mentioned is how many people were around. The beach was hugely crowded, what with it being a really nice day and a Friday evening and all that. It's a lucky thing more people weren't hit, as the shooter fired a good 8-12 rounds off, if I remember what I heard correctly.
Kids I passed were laughing at their friends for flinching, saying "ha ha, it's just fireworks, stupid."
Christ, what an asshole.
Figured it was just some jackass setting off firecrackers, until every patrol car in the city turned on the sirens.
What none of the reports have mentioned is how many people were around. The beach was hugely crowded, what with it being a really nice day and a Friday evening and all that. It's a lucky thing more people weren't hit, as the shooter fired a good 8-12 rounds off, if I remember what I heard correctly.
Kids I passed were laughing at their friends for flinching, saying "ha ha, it's just fireworks, stupid."
Christ, what an asshole.
14
@8 How did you manage to use "they're" correctly only once? You do know what a contraction is, don't you?
15
@11
2 -- Sigh. I am not aware of massive youth violence with guns in Europe to the point where, as in our big cities, moms have to keep their kids inside because the drug dealers and gangs and gunfire are rampant on the streets. Yes they have "gangs." They even have a Mafia, duh. They have teenager gangs. I saw some in Paris, boy they looked menacing on thir Vespas, ha ha. You can get your purse snatched in Naples, and my buddy who got mugged in Arles was dumb to go walking at midnight then to into that back room in that Arab cafe to check out their pot, fucking duh. But holy fucking shit Sherlock, in general people can walk around 95% of the big cities in Europe with a level of safety that we can only envy here in the gun-filled USA. France Germany Spain Italy Sweden etc. simply do not have the levels of gang violence we have nor do they have 20% of the population living in an environment dominated by violence with guns so in that sense the gangs they have don't create a level of violence like we got here so stop with the quibbling, ok? THAT'S WHY WE ALL GO OVER TO EUROPE AND WALK AROUND THEIR BIG CITIES in a way we'd never do here. Ain't no tourists walking around Detroit at midnight, or going out at 5 am to get the fresh croissants.
Capisce?
2 -- Sigh. I am not aware of massive youth violence with guns in Europe to the point where, as in our big cities, moms have to keep their kids inside because the drug dealers and gangs and gunfire are rampant on the streets. Yes they have "gangs." They even have a Mafia, duh. They have teenager gangs. I saw some in Paris, boy they looked menacing on thir Vespas, ha ha. You can get your purse snatched in Naples, and my buddy who got mugged in Arles was dumb to go walking at midnight then to into that back room in that Arab cafe to check out their pot, fucking duh. But holy fucking shit Sherlock, in general people can walk around 95% of the big cities in Europe with a level of safety that we can only envy here in the gun-filled USA. France Germany Spain Italy Sweden etc. simply do not have the levels of gang violence we have nor do they have 20% of the population living in an environment dominated by violence with guns so in that sense the gangs they have don't create a level of violence like we got here so stop with the quibbling, ok? THAT'S WHY WE ALL GO OVER TO EUROPE AND WALK AROUND THEIR BIG CITIES in a way we'd never do here. Ain't no tourists walking around Detroit at midnight, or going out at 5 am to get the fresh croissants.
Capisce?
16
PC>>>Calm yourself. Guns are NOT the problem. Your myopic view of the situation is not helpful. You'd rather blame an inanimate piece of metal than human beings who make the decision to abuse that metal. We need a cultural change NOT a restriction on constituional freedoms. Why aren't you clamoring for the ban of cars, which annually kill more than twice the number of people as guns?
There are plenty of cities in Europe that you wouldn't want to walk around in at midnight. Mersaille, France for example. It's not some utopia over there. HOLY FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK.
There are plenty of cities in Europe that you wouldn't want to walk around in at midnight. Mersaille, France for example. It's not some utopia over there. HOLY FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK.
17
I think education and resources are two main things that a lot of people don’t have, and much less people have since the recession. Add on top of that desperation and confusion and you have a recipe for trouble.
I really think it’s unfortunate, because all of us are in this together - we all work, we’re all suffering, so we should work together. Unfortunately I think the fact that some people are uneducated, impoverished, desperate, angry, confused, whatever - stops us from that realization, and instead of fighting the people that keep us down, we fight each other.
I really think it’s unfortunate, because all of us are in this together - we all work, we’re all suffering, so we should work together. Unfortunately I think the fact that some people are uneducated, impoverished, desperate, angry, confused, whatever - stops us from that realization, and instead of fighting the people that keep us down, we fight each other.
18
@15 your a clown, dude. I mean I don't mean to be rude, but you need to get your head out of your ass. I guess those Paris riots last summer were in my head. Every city has violence. Every city had danger. You think dangerous cities are an American invention?
You are either blinded by your ideology, 17 years old, or just a fool. Which is it?
And really if you want to keep going and waste your time arguing, knock yourself out. But please, bring some facts tot the table, not some BS anecdotal evidence of your buddy carousing around European tourist spots, or idiot statements like 20% live in fear or 95% blah blah blah.
You are either blinded by your ideology, 17 years old, or just a fool. Which is it?
And really if you want to keep going and waste your time arguing, knock yourself out. But please, bring some facts tot the table, not some BS anecdotal evidence of your buddy carousing around European tourist spots, or idiot statements like 20% live in fear or 95% blah blah blah.
21
So, the theory is that if guns were banned outright, that kids with access to cocaine and heroin wouldn't have a source for firearms? Good one.
24
It'z totally Tru - widdout guns, teh kidz would still be beatin' on each other wit' knives, baseball bats, sticks, bottles, rocks, whateverz they could get theyz handz on.
Outlaw kidz, thas' teh ticket!
Outlaw kidz, thas' teh ticket!
25
The shooter was black, now that is a gigantic totally unexpected surprise!
I am extremely flabbergasted at this rare occurrence!
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/arc…
"The suspect is described as a black male in his late teens wering [sic] a black shirt."
I am extremely flabbergasted at this rare occurrence!
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/arc…
"The suspect is described as a black male in his late teens wering [sic] a black shirt."
26
@22, there ARE such things as gangs, and violent youths in them called gangbangers. Sure sometimes the word is misapplied, but pretending they don't exist by denying the word is just stupid.
27
@25 you are an evil racist! everyone knows that whites make up all the serial killers... oh wait... oooops: and his victims were all white women too!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti…
Police call man LA's `largest ever' serial killer
By THOMAS WATKINS – 2 days ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police believe a 72-year-old insurance claims adjuster arrested earlier this month is the most prolific serial killer in the city's history, having raped and strangled as many as 30 older women over two decades.
The break in the cold case came in October when John Floyd Thomas Jr., who had twice been convicted of sexual assault, had a DNA sample taken as part of an effort to build an offender database.
Thomas was charged April 2 with murdering 68-year-old Ethel Sokoloff in 1972 and 67-year-old Elizabeth McKeown in 1976, both of whom were sexually assaulted and strangled. DNA matching Thomas' was found at three other crime scenes in the 1970s and '80s, police robbery-homicide Capt. Denis Cremins said.
Detectives now consider Thomas a suspect in at least 25 other killings, and the number could grow as detectives probe unsolved cases going back to the 1950s, Cremins said. It could not immediately be determined where the other killings took place.
"If he turns out to be the guy, he probably would be the largest ever (serial killer) in the city of Los Angeles," Cremins said.
Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said police "believe that Thomas is likely connected to many more sexually motivated murders."
Thomas was being held on $1 million bond in a county jail and could not be reached for comment. The public defender's office said he had yet to be assigned an attorney.
If convicted, Thomas faces life in prison without parole because the killings occurred before the 1977 reinstatement of the death penalty. Prosecutors may seek capital punishment if Thomas is charged in later cases.
Thomas was sentenced to six years in 1957 for burglary and attempted rape in Los Angeles. Two parole violations sent him back behind bars until 1966.
The victims in all 30 cases under review were older white women, mostly of lower incomes and often widows living alone, Cremins said. All had been sexually assaulted and most were strangled.
In the first wave of killings in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, a man police dubbed "The Westside Rapist" entered the homes of dozens of elderly women who lived alone, raped them and choked them until they passed out or died. The 17 people killed were found with pillows or blankets over their faces.
During that time, Thomas was a social worker, hospital employee and salesman. The attacks stopped in 1978 — the year Thomas went back to prison for the rape of a Pasadena woman.
After his 1983 release, he moved to Chino in San Bernardino County and took a job as a hospital peer counselor in nearby Pomona. That year, a series of attacks on elderly women began, including five slayings in the nearby Los Angeles County town of Claremont. The attacker also used blankets or pillows over his victims' faces.
Despite some 20 survivors, detectives didn't connect the two cases. There were conflicting descriptions from victims, a lack of communication between agencies and an absence of DNA technology.
Investigators said the attacks stopped in 1989, when Thomas began working at the State Compensation Insurance Fund in Glendale. He was arrested at his South Los Angeles apartment on March 31 and resigned shortly afterward.
"As far as why he stopped, we don't know for sure if he stopped," Detective Rick Jackson said. "Who knows? It could be age-related, we just don't know enough about him at this time."
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a commentator and host of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said he was shocked by the allegations against his friend, whom he described as "very engaging, very involved, seemed very informed."
Hutchinson said Thomas is married and has children.
Associated Press writers John Antczak and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.
More...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti…
Police call man LA's `largest ever' serial killer
By THOMAS WATKINS – 2 days ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police believe a 72-year-old insurance claims adjuster arrested earlier this month is the most prolific serial killer in the city's history, having raped and strangled as many as 30 older women over two decades.
The break in the cold case came in October when John Floyd Thomas Jr., who had twice been convicted of sexual assault, had a DNA sample taken as part of an effort to build an offender database.
Thomas was charged April 2 with murdering 68-year-old Ethel Sokoloff in 1972 and 67-year-old Elizabeth McKeown in 1976, both of whom were sexually assaulted and strangled. DNA matching Thomas' was found at three other crime scenes in the 1970s and '80s, police robbery-homicide Capt. Denis Cremins said.
Detectives now consider Thomas a suspect in at least 25 other killings, and the number could grow as detectives probe unsolved cases going back to the 1950s, Cremins said. It could not immediately be determined where the other killings took place.
"If he turns out to be the guy, he probably would be the largest ever (serial killer) in the city of Los Angeles," Cremins said.
Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said police "believe that Thomas is likely connected to many more sexually motivated murders."
Thomas was being held on $1 million bond in a county jail and could not be reached for comment. The public defender's office said he had yet to be assigned an attorney.
If convicted, Thomas faces life in prison without parole because the killings occurred before the 1977 reinstatement of the death penalty. Prosecutors may seek capital punishment if Thomas is charged in later cases.
Thomas was sentenced to six years in 1957 for burglary and attempted rape in Los Angeles. Two parole violations sent him back behind bars until 1966.
The victims in all 30 cases under review were older white women, mostly of lower incomes and often widows living alone, Cremins said. All had been sexually assaulted and most were strangled.
In the first wave of killings in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, a man police dubbed "The Westside Rapist" entered the homes of dozens of elderly women who lived alone, raped them and choked them until they passed out or died. The 17 people killed were found with pillows or blankets over their faces.
During that time, Thomas was a social worker, hospital employee and salesman. The attacks stopped in 1978 — the year Thomas went back to prison for the rape of a Pasadena woman.
After his 1983 release, he moved to Chino in San Bernardino County and took a job as a hospital peer counselor in nearby Pomona. That year, a series of attacks on elderly women began, including five slayings in the nearby Los Angeles County town of Claremont. The attacker also used blankets or pillows over his victims' faces.
Despite some 20 survivors, detectives didn't connect the two cases. There were conflicting descriptions from victims, a lack of communication between agencies and an absence of DNA technology.
Investigators said the attacks stopped in 1989, when Thomas began working at the State Compensation Insurance Fund in Glendale. He was arrested at his South Los Angeles apartment on March 31 and resigned shortly afterward.
"As far as why he stopped, we don't know for sure if he stopped," Detective Rick Jackson said. "Who knows? It could be age-related, we just don't know enough about him at this time."
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a commentator and host of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said he was shocked by the allegations against his friend, whom he described as "very engaging, very involved, seemed very informed."
Hutchinson said Thomas is married and has children.
Associated Press writers John Antczak and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.
28
It's people like this serial killer that make me glad guns are elgel. What would an old woman do with a knife or bat or even a stun gun or pepper spray if this man broke in. Sure he could be sprayed and possibly held back but pepper spray only buys you a bit of time. It does not stop someone motivated enough. Also if someone is on drugs pepper spray and stun guns are considerably less effective.
So why again are some people advocating banning guns to stop gang members?
So why again are some people advocating banning guns to stop gang members?
29
Wow you naive white Seattle liberals are hilarious, using this incident to argue about gun control!
I have read the news here in Seattle for the last 2 years every day. I also read the news in other major US cities.
None or almost none of the violent gun crimes have been committed by legal gun owners. The vast majority of violent gun crimes (and violent crime in general) in Seattle are committed by blacks with stolen guns.
It makes FAR MORE SENSE to ban black males than it does to ban guns. Black adult men make up only about 3% of the USA but commit over 52% of all murders and over 34% of all rapes in our country.
Wake up to reality you totally naive or willfully blind wimpy Seattle liberals!
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/ra…
I have read the news here in Seattle for the last 2 years every day. I also read the news in other major US cities.
None or almost none of the violent gun crimes have been committed by legal gun owners. The vast majority of violent gun crimes (and violent crime in general) in Seattle are committed by blacks with stolen guns.
It makes FAR MORE SENSE to ban black males than it does to ban guns. Black adult men make up only about 3% of the USA but commit over 52% of all murders and over 34% of all rapes in our country.
Wake up to reality you totally naive or willfully blind wimpy Seattle liberals!
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/ra…
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