One Capitol Hill homicide in 2008

Seattle PI

One of the most interesting -- and darkest -- pieces of local journalism wrapping up last year is this Seattle PI article by Casey McNerthney documenting every 2008 murder in the city. Included in the piece is this map pinpointing where each crime occurred.

A little difficult to read the small map -- but you can see three dots marking deaths between the I5-Madison angle and the shores of Lake Washington. One of those was the murder of 25-year-old Moe Allen:

Maurice "Moe" Allen Jr., Jan. 26 -- Allen, 25, was shot outside the Baltic Room nightclub on Capitol Hill as patrons left a hip-hop-themed night called "The Lick."

He was shot in the chest just before 1 a.m.

The Baltic Room owner said that before the violence erupted, staff members turned Allen away from the door several times because he was wearing athletic gear and a hat, which were violations of the dress code. Allen also lacked identification. Security video footage shows him apparently smoking a cigarette near the curb before the shooting. There have been no arrests in this case, which is believed to be gang related.

Of course, violence and death know no calendar. Place another dot on East Howell near 15th -- that's where 31-year-old Shannon Harps died on New Year's Eve 2007.

For more on Capitol Hill's 2008 crime trends, check out Central District New's wrap-up of the year in police scanner reports.