I got home this evening to find three police vehicles and the Medical Examiner outside the apartment building where I live, on the corner of E Harrison and Bellevue Ave E. As I walked inside there was a girl crying, and a policeman was talking to her, stopped on the front stairs. I walked to my unit and there were several others standing around, including the apartment managers, with somber looks on their face. I took their body language as a cue not to ask what happened, so I went inside my apartment, but could hear people outside sobbing. I caught a few phrases and random words such as “we had just broken up” and something something “cat” something something.
I was, interestingly enough, taking one of my cats to a new home, and carried him out the door with me a few moments later in my arms. One man on the stairs, speaking to a policeman and several others, looks at my cat and says, “thats not the cat”. Hmmm…
I came home a few hours later, only to find no one in sight. No police, no Medical Examiner, no one in the hallways. Just a “missing cat” sign posted on the mirrored wall.
Please don’t tell me all of that was for a missing cat.
Anyone know what went down here?
UPDATE by jseattle
I see an aid response call in the 911 log to the apartment building’s address at 331 Bellevue E. around 6p. Sometimes big things can be buried in the log line item’s seemingly innocuous description. Sometimes it really is just nothing. I’ll see what I can find out from the fire department and the medical examiner. Here’s the location for those of you who may have wandered by at one time or another:
A man killed himself, and he didn’t put his cat in a secure place first. That’s why it’s missing.
Why do so many people in this town see a situation in their own neighborhoods or homes, scoot past it while avoiding all contact, then come home and post about it in a public forum and ask if anyone knows what happened? Talk to your neighbors instead of thinking they might make an interesting blog post.
Because this city has the most passive aggressive people per square mile than any other.
Sounds like a suicide. The ME was there because of the death.
I think it’s obnoxious when people ask questions to the people involved in things like this right after it happened. One thing I love about this blog is that we can all pool our information about what may have happened without bothering people who don’t want to talk about it. Note from the post above: “I took their body language as a cue not to ask what happened.” I had a stove fire in my apartment and they had to send a ridiculous amount of firetrucks since I live in a big building, and I was pretty shaken up and not happy to have to answer nosy people’s questions as I stood outside talking to some of the firefighters. As for asking the neighbors, it doesn’t sound like there were any around. Should we start knocking on doors late at night to get the scoop? What’s up with jumping all over authors on this site just to get another chance to complain about supposed passive-aggressiveness?
I was the author of this post and like I said, it really looked like too somber of a moment to just ask what had happened. I was being respectful.
I don’t think this is passive aggressive and I commend the poster for being so tactful. That said, I think had it been me I certainly would have asked b/c of concerns for my own safety (I think anytime there is a police presence at your apt bldg you deserve to know why). But I still think this was very tactful and I’m sorry to hear of what is probably very bad news for someone else in your bldg.
People from the obnoxious east coast mistake seattle’s politeness and respect of other peoples privacy as ‘passive aggressive.’
I guess I just don’t see splashing someone’s somber moment onto a blog as particularly respectful.
Is calling us “obnoxious” really that polite though?
agreed, anne.
@Christopher – why so nasty?
also, @dthquazi you should look up “passive aggressive”. it doesn’t mean quite what you think it means. Seattlites are frequently accused of being “passive aggressive” when the accuser usually means “unsociable” or “standoffish”.
I know what it means and was displaying a little myself. I had a bad run in with a seattlite and had to come here and post my anger away!
^how is that for passive aggressiveness.
This blog is just another way to talk with people around you. The news and the paper just talk at you with their info. The blog gives a chance for real communication and debate. Be thankful people care enough to be respectful. Be thoughtful of other’s perspective. Keep it in perspective. It was not all that long ago we had that rash of problems. The Stabbing on 15th. The night club problems and the gay bashing. We must all come together in an effort to look out for each other. Be good neighbors! (in real life & on the web, its more important than ever!)
Well said! Wish I could have put it this nicely. :)
dog lover, you made my day. nothing makes me feel better about dealing with an event like this than open minds. BTW, still no confirmation on suicide or other. I likely won’t cover suicides unless there is public aspect of the incident. The way this post unfolded there was no telling where it would go. Still don’t know for sure.
i’ve only been reading the chs blog for a little while, but it’s a great resource. i know so much more about my neighborhood because of this blog. often i see something going on on the hill (police activity, fire trucks, a business opening/closing, etc.) — before i would wait for the p-i/times to report it (which they rarely would). now i check this blog, and the info is there. reporting the incident at joey ray apts was done with tact. keep up the good work.
We had just seen him…why do you never know. The kitty will be taken care of, now everyone just wonders how…why.
You knew the man who lived at the Joey Ray Apartments? If so, I am really sorry to hear what happened. I live across the street and saw all the commotion…but wished it wasn’t something tragic. I hope his family and friends are doing well in this most difficult time. Kind Regards to you.
We did.