Here is an eyewitness account from a woman who says she and her child were within 15 feet of the victim in Friday night's E. Union shooting. She describes the moment the victim was shot and his struggle to get back on his feet before falling back to the pavement. We're re-posting the report but are redacting her name and her family members' first names even though she posted the information publicly. We are also not linking to the page where she posted this information.

So Fri night, the night before my birthday, I was walking to the store at about 6 pm to meet [redacted] and get some groceries. I made it out of my house a couple of blocks, with [redacted] in the stroller. when all of a sudden, about 10-15 feet in front of us, we saw someone get shot 4-5 times point blank, and then a black car drove off very fast.

The guy that was shot fell to the ground, and got up and then fell down again. Some other people were near me on the sidewalk and they went to help the guy. I headed straight back for home as quickly as possible to get [redacted] safe since some psycho shooter was driving around the neighborhood.

I call the police and told them what i saw as i was going home. they said they would send a medic, and i heard a ton of sirens. i also kept telling people who were walking that way to look out because someone was just shot. I didnt know if the shooter was going to come back again or not.

As I was sitting at home waiting for my fiance to get home, I saw helicopters above our apt building looking down on the crime scene. then i saw a short piece about the shooting on the news. The police called me and asked if they could come over and talk to me about what happened. When they got here, they said they think it might end up being a homicide, the guy was in bad shape when he was sent to harborview hospital i guess.

I am not sure if he lived or not...the police said they will probably want me to come in and do a written statement, and a taped statement. Oh the joys of being a good citizen :-P Hope I dont have to go in... And I really hope the guy didnt die...

Im so glad [redacted] and I are ok, and Im so glad I didnt leave the house a few seconds sooner, or we would have been in the range of bullets...

[redacted]~

The victim was taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. There has been no update on his condition. Police are still looking for the suspected shooter. He is described as a white male driving a black, late model Mercedes Benz. He was wearing a red shirt at the time of the shooting. Anybody with information is encouraged to call 911.

Capitol Hill Seattle has been alerted to an apparent shooting near the intersection of Union and Boylston. At 5:55 PM, emergency units were dispatched to 702 E Union St. for an assault with weapons response.

We received the following e-mail from an eyewitness:

Shooting on Union between Boylston and Harvard. One guy shot, was conscious and speaking when police arrived.

More as we get it.

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The man who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to likely spend the rest of his life in prison for stabbing Capitol Hill resident Shannon Harps to death now claims he was coerced to confess to the murder, CHS partner SeattleCrime.com has learned:

James Anthony Williams, who received a 35 year sentence for the the brutal slaying of Shannon Harps outside of her Capitol Hill apartment on New Years Eve in 2007, is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea and is asking the court to provide him with new legal counsel.

Williams on the day of his May 2009 sentencing (Photo: chrisdaniels5)

In court documents filed in King County Superior Court earlier this month, Williams claims he was "compelled...to plead guilty." While documents show Williams apparently believed he was in physical danger while in jail, prosecutors—who, naturally, are opposing Williams' motion—contend Williams made numerous declarations of his own guilt, prior to entering his plea.

SeattleCrime.com reports that prosecutors are citing multiple statements by Williams "that his plea was solely motivated by the fact that he was guilty" in their response to the claims.

Williams originally pleaded not guilty to the crime in February of 2008 and his mental competency was questioned. But after treatment at mental health facility Western State Hospital, Williams was determined fit to stand trial. The defendant then pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison. This is what prosecutors told CHS at the time of the sentencing about Williams' decision to plead guilty:

[Williams] pled as charged after our office worked to have him restored to competency to stand trial for the murder by sending him to Western State Hospital. He pled not guilty at arraignment in 2008 because every criminal defendant will enter a not guilty plea in order to consult with their attorney, discuss the various options they have and then chose either to plead, negotiate or fight the charge by gong to trial. Mr. Williams at first did not appear competent. The court sent him to Western State Hospital for evaluation at the request of the state and defense. He was found initially not-competent and then Western State doctors restored his competency. Mr. Williams returned to court and indicated he wanted to plead guilty as charged, which he did.

SeattleCrime.com reports that, along with his claims of a coerced confession, Williams also says his attorneys did not adequately represent him during trial and has requested new counsel.

Williams was convicted of murdering Harps in a bloody attack as the 31-year-old was about to enter her residence near 15th and Howell on the last night of 2007.

Here is the latest batch of reports from the East Precinct for the first weeks of November. We also recently reported on the rash of car break-ins plaguing the area with a map of Hill car prowl hotspots.

We have created a new section in our forums for community Crime Reports if you see something or have something happen to you that you think the Hill needs to know about.

• 6-string thief: Sometime early this month, a person kicked in the door of a practice studio at 11th Ave's Chop House and took a 1970 Gibson L6S electric guitar. According to the very detailed report, the guitar has a natural wood finish with a custom Humbucker pickup installed near the bridge along with a custom three-way switch.
• Wrongfully accused man attacks with umbrella: A man was detained after struggling with a police officer outside of the Harvard QFC following an incident involving the man and QFC security. Late on Friday, Novemeber 6, store security believed the man had stolen a can of beer from the store but the follow-up investigation by the police officer determined that the man had the can of beer in his pocket prior to entering the store but became angry when he was accused and began assaulting people with his umbrella. The man was released following an interview at East Precinct.

More about the L6S from VintageGuitars.org.uk


• Two-TV burglary: On Monday, November 2 around 10 AM, a man was spotted leaving a house and walking down E. Republican near 21st Ave carrying a TV under each arm to load into his car. A neighbor called police but the man was gone by the time the officer arrived. The officer found a basement window that had been broken out giving the burglar access to the house. No suspect description was provided in the report.
• Leash law: A man entered a 10th Ave E doctor's office on November 4th and threatened staff saying, "I'll punch you in the head." He had also been observed trying to tackle people and standing in the street stopping traffic kicking at cars and trying to knock over a motorcycle. The man eventually left the office after somebody inside brought their dog out for protection. When the officer arrived, the man was shirtless, on his hands and knees and growling at the dog. The man was taken into custody and booked into King County Jail for assault (12A.06.010), Pedestrian Interference (12A.12.015), Harassment 12A.06.040, and Criminal Trespass 1st (12A.08.040.B).
• Bad drugs: Late on Sunday, November 1, a man reported being assaulted after "trying to buy weed" near Volunteer Park at 17th and Republican. The man had contusions and swelling on both sides of face. He was also extremely inebriated, according to the report. He could not describe his attacker beyond identifying him as the man he was trying to buy drugs from due to his condition.
• E. Olive burglary: A burglary of a home in the 700 block of E. Olive Way netted $2,300 in ill-gotten goods on November 4.
• 3-car haul on Summit: A break-in at a residential parking garage in the 1600 block of Summit Ave netted the thief two prowled automobiles and a stolen 2008 VW Beetle used as a getaway mobile. There were no witnesses and no suspect has yet been identified, according to the report.
• Liberty theft: Finally, cleaning up with one from October we missed. A man can be seen on security video footage walking behind the bar at 15th Ave's Liberty and grabbing cash early in the morning of October 27. Staff at the bar said that $160 in tips and another $120 in cash from a wallet was stolen by the man who is described as a black male, 5'5", 130 pounds with "three days of facial hair growth, with short black hair, a pierced left eyebrow, and a pierced tongue with a blue ring in it," according to the report. The report says a staff member told officers the man said he was "from the Central District area of Seattle, had been born at University Hospital, and had a sister named [redacted] who was a stripper."

UPDATE:  It was discovered the woman had not been shot and called in a false report, according to Seattle Police Department spokesperson Sean Whitcomb.

Original report:
Police and emergency crews responded to an apartment in 2000 block of E. John this morning after a woman called 911 to report she'd been shot in the leg, according to a dispatcher's report broadcast to emergency personnel. Officers were seeking two male suspects involved with the shooting. The woman was transported to Harborview. We do not have information on her condition at this time.