A series of violent crime incidents occurring within a mile radius of campus has increased Public Safety patrols around campus and raised security alerts.
Seattle University inboxes have seen a stream of Department of Public Safety e-mails as the Seattle Police Department alerted campus safety of these incidents, all occurring within a week of each other. The events are as follows:
Kolvenbach break-in
An attempted break-in last week at the Kolvenbach student residence has forced its residents to be more cautious. At approximately 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov.25, two Seattle U students, Lauren Kolojejchick-Kotch and Ydalia Yado, heard a loud noise at the back door of the house and went downstairs to investigate.
They discovered an unidentified male repeatedly kicking their kitchen door attempting to get in. He moved on to the exterior basement door, which he was successful in breaking down. The man entered the house but fled the scene shortly thereafter without taking anything.
“It made us realize that we do live in a big city, and there are certain risks involved with that,” said Kelly Glenn, another Kolvenbach resident. “We use our dead bolt more often, and we leave the radio on when no one is at home.”
Kolojejchick-Kotch and Yado, the only two residents in Kolvenbach at the time, reported the incident immediately to Public Safety. They said the suspect was 20-30 years of age, had light skin and was of medium build.
SPD and Public Safety officers searched the area and took one man into custody, but he was let go after the two Kolvenbach residents confirmed he was not the suspect in question.
9th and Columbia shooting
A man was killed in a shootout five blocks west of campus at approximately 9:15 p.m. Nov. 28. Public Safety monitored a Seattle Police response to an armed robbery call and the sounds of gun shots near 90th and Columbia Street.
The non-affiliate male was in his late teens or early 20s, according to Public Safety. He was fatally shot in the torso. The only description of the shooter given to police was that the suspect was wearing a nylon sock over his head. The victim allegedly returned fire, but SPD is still investigating and have yet to confirm this.
14th Ave. and E. Union burglary
A man was robbed at gunpoint two blocks east of campus also late Nov. 28. The male victim, a non-affiliate of Seattle U, lent his iPhone to an unidentified man on the street. As the suspect walked away the victim followed and told him to give his iPhone back. The suspect brandished his silver handgun at the victim, threatening him in the process.
The suspect fled the scene. The victim reported the incident to the SPD but could not provide a description of the suspect. Police officers continued to search the area where the incident took place and detained one suspect.
The victim did not respond to phone calls from the police for identification purposes, so the suspect was released.
700 Block of Union shooting
A man was shot in the chest approximately four blocks Northwest of campus Nov. 20. Public Safety responded to an SPD alert regarding ashooting in the 700 block of East Union Street. The victim said that a man pulled up in a car and demanded the victim’s wrist watch. When the victim refused to hand it over, the man in the car opened fire.
A witness at the scene rushed over to help the victim. Other witnesses reported they saw a dark-colored sedan speeding away from the scene after hearing the sound of gunshots. The male victim was sent to a local hospital in critical condition.
Broadway building fire/overdose
A fire broke out in the red brick medical building at the intersection of Broadway and Columbia just after 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. The fire department detected no visible external damage before breaking several windows in order to ventilate the building. The fire was confined to the northern wing of the building along Columbia Street and caused $100,000 in damages.
The fire was officially determined an arson. Police reported an overdose fatality in that same building Nov. 20. Police regularly patrol the property due to frequent reports of drug activity.
Two days later, police and fire personnel were sent back to the building after its owners smelled the odor of natural gas and heard voices inside the building.
12th Avenue and East Jefferson Street shooting
The evening of Nov. 30 a man was nearly shot in the head at the intersection of 12th Avenue and East Jefferson Street, a block from campus. The non-affiliate victim was walking west on East Jefferson when he encountered two suspects who asked him for a cigarette.
The two reached into the victim’s pockets which caused him to run northbound to escape. The two assailants fired a single shot from a handgun at the victim, which grazed him in the head. The four to six police units who responded took the suspects into custody immediately, but the victim was later unable to positively identify the suspects. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
4 Lakewood police killed
The morning of Dec. 1, a Seattle police officer shot and killed 37-year-old Maurice Clemmons, the man who gunned down four police officers Nov. 29, ending a state-wide manhunt lasting three days.
Maurice Clemmons shot four police officers in a coffee shop in Parkland Sunday morning. Clemmons sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach at 2 a.m. and evaded police with the aid of several friends who police have since detained.
Early Tuesday morning, a Seattle police officer was investigating a stolen car on the 4400 block of East Kenyon Street. Clemmons approached the officer from behind who ordered Clemmons to stop and put his hands up. Clemmons ran and the officer opened fire, fatally wounding Clemmons.
Be the first to comment on this article!