The Seattle Police Department has released security camera stills of three people who appear to be disposing of a jacket on November 15 in the vicinity of the fatal attack on gay salon owner Danny Vega. Police are asking for the public's help in identifying these potential suspects by calling the Homicide tip-line at (206) 233-5000. Anonymous calls are welcome.

In addition, SPD will be hosting a community meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Filipino Community Center (5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S) to answer whatever questions they can about Vega's case and the criminal investigation process. For instance, we've received tons of calls, emails, and comments from people angry at Seattle police for not classifying Vega's assault as a hate crime. Here's the problem: While police are definitely not ruling that possibility out, currently the police department has no firm evidence that Vega was targeted because he was gay.

"We are certainly open to the possibility that this is a bias crime or a hate crime and that he was targeting him because he was gay," says SPD spokesman Sergeant Sean Whitcomb. "What we do know is that he was viciously beaten and left on the sidewalk and property was taken, so we are open to possibility that this was a robbery."

Whitcomb says that what SPD needs is for eye witnesses to come forward or better yet, suspects to question. So again, if you know anything, however seemingly insignificant, please call:(206) 233-5000.