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Woman dies in Capitol Hill stabbing — UPDATE

A 25-year-old woman died in a stabbing on Capitol Hill early Sunday morning.

Seattle Police has posted a brief on the incident:

Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal stabbing of a 25-year-old female that occurred early Sunday morning at Cal Anderson Park. On Sunday, July 14th at approximately 2:45 am, East Precinct officers were dispatched to report of a stabbing at Cal Anderson Park near East Pine and Nagel Place. Officers arrived and located a 25-year-old female with a stab wound to her chest. Officers performed first aid until they were relieved by Seattle Fire medics. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries. Homicide detectives responded and assumed responsibility for the follow up investigation. CSI processed the scene. There is no suspect description at this time. This remains an active and on-going investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Seattle Police tip line at (206) 233-5000.

UPDATE 7/15/19: Q13 says family has identified the victim as 25-year-old Rayshauna Webber.

According to East Precinct and Seattle Fire radio reports, the woman was reported stabbed near Cal Anderson and found outside the Rock Box around 2:45 AM. Seattle Police arrived to find the victim on the sidewalk outside the bar at Nagle and Pine. CPR was reportedly underway as confusion at the scene and an extremely busy night for Seattle emergency responders delayed the arrival of units from Seattle Fire.

The victim was transported to Harborview as CPR continued but did not survive, according to East Precinct radio.

The incident happened in the midst of a violent overnight in Seattle as police and emergency responders also were at the scene of a shooting incident involving a large crowd in Lower Queen Anne.

Police were searching for a suspect reported leaving the scene of the Capitol Hill stabbing and were working with a very specific physical description, according to dispatch radio reports. The suspect was described as a white male in his 50s, around 5’8″ to 6′ tall, with a receding hairline and long, black hair in the back, and wearing a burgundy or red v-neck shirt, and jeans at the time of the stabbing. UPDATE: A police spokesperson tells CHS the department has “no useful description” of a suspect at this time.

Witnesses told police they saw the man leaving the scene in a black, four-door sedan last seen headed southbound on 10th Ave.

The Sunday morning homicide marks the second killing along Nagle this year. In March, a 21-year-old was gunned down near the Cal Anderson basketball court. There have been no publicly announced arrests in that investigation.

 

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53 Comments
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Stephanie
Stephanie
4 years ago

There was also a rape of two teenage girls in cal Anderson park over July 4 weekend. Is there an update on that?

Eesh
Eesh
4 years ago
Reply to  Mimi

That is dark… Poor kids.

Adam
Adam
4 years ago

Is our council member going to address any of the escalating violence happening in her district? Or is that not going to get her enough press coverage?

K
K
4 years ago
Reply to  Adam

If it doesn’t have to do with rent control, workers’ rights, or stickin’ it to the man, she’s not interested. Unsurprising since half her campaign contributions come from outside Seattle.

DS
DS
4 years ago
Reply to  K

Neither she nor, Lisa Daugaard the real woman behind the curtain in pressing for non-prosecution of criminals (King County just gave her millions), give 2 cents about teenage girls raped in homeless tents. Hell, Daugaard posted a photo of herself laughing with Andre Taylor’s arm around her. It is very much public record in various newspapers that Andre Taylor is a convicted human trafficker who went to prison for selling underage girls across state lines. We in Seattle exalt a convicted sex trafficker by giving him the ear of the CPC, the mayor, etc. all the while he is selling a book online about pimping and posts videos on youtube about how to pimp white girls. The press DOES NOT CARE. Our councilperson does not care. The message we send to raped, trafficked girls is that we value and respect the men who did this to them. Why should our message to other raped children be any different?

Brewer
Brewer
4 years ago
Reply to  Adam

Is there actual evidence that there has been an increase in violent crime? There is a spike in violent crime every summer when more people are spending time outside, drinking, interacting with people they don’t see otherwise. The shooting that happened on the basketball courts in March was on that freak 80 degree day. It’s doesn’t seem to be that complex.

caphillguy
caphillguy
4 years ago
Reply to  Brewer

Woah woah woah…how is everyone who lives in a city going to freak out every July if you actually pay attention to trends!

Bubba
Bubba
4 years ago

Gee down he street from the police station. Where were the police? Perhaps having doughnuts with the Developer trolls who attack our councilperson.

zeebleoop
4 years ago
Reply to  Bubba

@Bubba

Yeah, you understand that the police aren’t sitting at the windows of the station with binoculars, scanning for crime; right? They are responding to all kinds of calls for help, completing paperwork on said calls, etc. Maybe if the Sawant suck-ups would pressure her to get more funding for the east precinct, to hire more police officers, we could get more of them on the street.

DS
DS
4 years ago
Reply to  Bubba

The police were responding to a shooting downtown that resulted in help the officer calls because a mob was rushing the cops and they were outnumbered. This is what you get when you understaff a police for so badly that they were 20 officers short that night.

GetReal
GetReal
4 years ago
Reply to  Bubba

If you read the article they are short staffed and most were at sea center dealing with the shooting. Spd has lost 41 officers in 2018. They don’t have the resources to be everywhere now. So yeah, the City Council is to blame.

RK
RK
4 years ago

I emailed council member Sawant. I’ve been fully ignored several times (emails, calls) related to asking what her strategy was for dealing with escalating violence in D3. It is wholly unacceptable that a bystander was shot at a gas station in the CD, that this woman was killed last night, and the other senseless violence.

Sawant, and the council, can’t prevent criminals from commiting crime – however they can describe a specific, concrete action plan for how they will be addressing it.

Sawant has completely ignored me. Even Mike O Brien atleast had an intern return a call to answer some questions I had about some housing legislation he was proposing.

Sawant does not care for her constituents.

Max
Max
4 years ago
Reply to  RK

Show receipts of your emails. Else it’s an accusation with no proof.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
4 years ago
Reply to  Max

Believe whatever you want Max. If she was that responsive a council member, her reputation would precede her. And she would get glowing accolades and people jumping to disagree and defend her when they read the same, consistent, day in/day out complaints people make of her.

Alex S.
Alex S.
4 years ago
Reply to  Max

If you had been paying attention you would have read dozens upon dozens of comments like this one from all kinds of people who were astonished to discover Sawant won’t even bother to respond with a generic letter or email. It’s unprecedented – and impossible to sweep under the rug. But nice try.

DS
DS
4 years ago
Reply to  Max

It’s well known that Sawant is unresponsive to neighborhood concerns. Email her yourself about crime and see what happens. I voted for her. What a freaking mistake it was, too.

DAILY LAMA
DAILY LAMA
4 years ago
Reply to  RK

She never contacts her constituents. She despises us and could care less what she and her ilk have done to this city. We are just a means go an end for her. Vote her …..and her bullhorn out.

Josh
Josh
4 years ago

Just raise taxes to hire more police.

Rk
Rk
4 years ago
Reply to  Josh

There are also other options : more lighting, for example. Emergency phone/alarms (as found on many college campuses).

Those are basic things I’d imagine everyone could agree with; but it requires a council member who gives a damn.

Jeffery
Jeffery
4 years ago

I was working at Rockbox that night! I worked behind the bar. I could see through the window people crowding the women. I saw the police arriving. NON OF THIS HAPPENED AT ROCKBOX!!! This happened in Cal Anderson Park, on the AstroTurf outside the tennis courts where people skateboard, close to the side walk. When I left work around 5am, the police were still there with caution tape around said area. ROCKBOX HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY!!!! Check your facts, fix your shit.

Friendly Neighbor Pooh-bear
Friendly Neighbor Pooh-bear
4 years ago
Reply to  Jeffery

Whoah, calm yourself. This article isn’t going to affect your business- at least not in a direct way. I imagine that it’s clear to all of the other readers that this happened in Cal Anderson. But people may start avoiding the Pike/Pine corridor in general (not your specific establishment) and thus (as I said earlier, in an indirect way) Rockbox might suffer.

However given how popular the area is, I imagine there will be increased police patrols in the area for a short while and then, unfortunately, people will forget this incident and go back to their usual ways.

DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
4 years ago

The first headlines and accompanying tweet said it happened AT Rockbox, which it did not. That was something that needed to be corrected, and now it has been.

It’s perfectly sensible for the employees and owners of Rockbox (a great place) to urgently want that misperception fixed. I know I wouldn’t be “calm” if I read that about my business.

harvardave
harvardave
4 years ago
Reply to  Jeffery

I haven’t seen anybody say it happened inside the venue. Rock Box is located at Nagle and Pine. That is also the edge of Cal Anderson. What is difference between crowd that gathers outside the bar and on the southwest edge of park?

Ryan
Ryan
4 years ago
Reply to  harvardave

It also didn’t even happen on Nagle. I was there. It happened at the entrance to Cal Anderson between basketball court’s and baseball/soccer turf.

Moving On
Moving On
4 years ago

I used to comment on these Cal Anderson overnight crime threads every time, especially after moving back to the hill from NYC a decade ago. I just don’t understand why this, and many other things, are allowed to go on there, why the curfew isn’t enforced, why people shoot heroin openly, and more. I really wanted the park to be safe, so I could use it. Now I see that people aren’t willing to do what it takes to make the park safe, so I just avoid it. Damn shame, too.

Mimi
Mimi
4 years ago
Reply to  Moving On

I use the park all the time, during the day. I think it is perfectly safe, especially the area north of the playground. Just use common sense and avoid it after dark.

Moving On
Moving On
4 years ago
Reply to  Mimi

Everyone has their own comfort level. I agree it’s not dangerous during the day, although frankly there are sections that I would consider somewhat ‘sketchy’ even during the day. As in, I would give then an extra 10 or 20 feet if I was alone, walk right by in a group, and strategically avoid if I had my young kids with me.

My larger point is that all of this is 100% avoidable and was not allowed in NYC. We could do a lot more to make the park pleasant for all without going full Guiliani police state, but now I’ve realized people just don’t care, so I’ve given up trying.

Jennifer Goodwin
Jennifer Goodwin
4 years ago
Reply to  Moving On

Because the city prosecutor has said he will not prosecute and we taxpayers are giving millions to fund diversion from arrest that – unlike actual court monitored diversion – has no consequence if you don’t participate in the program. It’s a don’t-go-to-jail-free card and people are moving here from other cities because of it.

cd resident
cd resident
4 years ago

Cal Anderson looks like a post apocalyptic movie set in the mornings, I am a grown ass woman with a large dog and knock wood have never had any real issue with personal safety and you could not pay me to walk through Cal Anderson at night.
That place should be patrolled at night or locked up.
But sawant is busy with other things like hating cops, amazon, landlords, internet,….
At least she saved the showbox right?
:)
BTW, being surprised by sawants lack of interest in D3 issues is like being surprised that trump is a rascist, difficult to get outraged about this stuff anymore as it is a known entity.
Save your outrage for election day, better yet, the primaries.

caphillguy
caphillguy
4 years ago
Reply to  cd resident

Oh stop. Can Anderson is not that bad. There are a few homeless sleeping around but there always has been. I’m going to guess you actually don’t go there at all.

Openyoureyes
Openyoureyes
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

Sorry caphillguy its bad. I worked on 10th between pike and pine for 8 years. I would park on nagel and I carried a stun gun because I had been harassed so many time at 6:45 in the morning. I was terrified. Don’t tell me its not bad until you are a female walking down a street being followed and having shit thrown at you.

caphillguy
caphillguy
4 years ago

Everyone needs to relax. I’ve lived on Cap Hill for 22 years. The crime is the same. Only some of the joggers are new.

Alex S.
Alex S.
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

Ah, yes. If we just stick our heads in the sand, all the violence and crime will just disappear. Such helpful commentary.

caphillguy
caphillguy
4 years ago
Reply to  Alex S.

Seattle is not dangerous if you use even an ounce of common sense. Have you people even lived in a city ever?

cd neighbor
cd neighbor
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

Well… I’ve lived here, in the Central District, but close enough to often be out on Capitol Hill, for 24 years. Have there always been homeless people in Cal Anderson? – yup. Has the composition of that group stayed the same? – absolutely not… When I moved here the homeless population was far smaller and consisted much more of young people, teens to very early 20’s, who rarely slept on the streets at night who would usually disappear, either to the indoors or to warmer climes when the weather started to turn cool and soggy for the year. Sometimes they’d get a little loud or panhandle a bit aggressively, but mostly they were just hanging out when the weather was good. For a little while, just after the reservoir was capped and the park newly rehabbed even those groups were rarely found to be hanging out in abundance- I don’t know if it was the spiffy newness, the bettering economy, the fact that those kids were a few years older and no longer living that lifestyle, or just increased enforcement around the nice new park. These days there are far more older people with serious social problems caused by either or both mental illness and drug addiction that can be found passed out in all manner of places, often sleeping on the streets or in tent camps who can be very belligerent – if not downright dangerous – like the man who out of nowhere stabbed 3 people downtown recently.

Are these just those same kids plus some, grown up and more hardcore? That I don’t know, but I somehow doubt that most of them are.

Moving On
Moving On
4 years ago
Reply to  cd neighbor

Seconded. In Capitol Hill on and off since 1999 and agree with this.

Regardless of how similar it is or isn’t to back in the day, it’s not okay. But it’s okay with caphillguy, apparently.

caphillguy
caphillguy
4 years ago

Whole lot of people in this comments section who seem to be here for political reasons, and I’m guess don’t live anywhere near Capitol Hill. Or maybe moved here recently for a nice Tech job and forgot they were moving to a city.

Alex S.
Alex S.
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

Yup – that’s the REAL problem: the people witnessing and being victimized by the crime & violence. Not the actual crime & violence.

Strong argument.

jason bennet up in here
jason bennet up in here
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

Pray for this women. And stop all these crimes. And quit promoting poverty and their playing/staying homeless. Plenty jobs. But most homeless want the streets. I do my own Nav Team. We talked to 1,216 homeless, offered list of 390 programs in state. Only 80 homeless will take a program(s). Think its a joke? Then you go convince them to change. And caphillguy, dont be ANOTHER cap-hill-clown. Most people that come to Seattle for ‘tech’ came here from probably a REAL city, which Seattle dont even want to compare, dude…get real. Which is hard to do for yall in Seattle.Hat’in on newcomers?: Then tell Amazon and Microsoft to quit BEGGING tech folks from LA/NY,TX,CHINA,and India to come here, ok? Which is fine with me anyway. Get the best. But thats a Seattle problem for those jobs. Not our fault UW has been rated #50 for Universities in the U.S. for damn near 30 years. Slap Gates and Jeff on that..And Elect JSeattle for City Council!!

RWK
RWK
4 years ago

I’m fascinated to hear that you have your own “Nav team.” Maybe CHS can interview you and write a story about it.

I’m not surprised that very few homeless people reject your offers of help to various social services. Most of them prefer the “lifestyle” they have, which of course is centered on drugs and alcohol.

Moving On
Moving On
4 years ago
Reply to  caphillguy

I’ve lived in a city for 20 years.

I think the it’s pretty gross that you’re equating murders and raping runaway teenagers in a public park with enjoying and appreciating city life, but you do you, I guess. You should consider taking your ennui to some even realer city, IMHO.

Don
Don
4 years ago

I was right next to Rhino room at 2AM Sunday and it was a shit show! There WAS a police cruiser parked out front AND 2 officers posted outside of the club. Though this happened after closing, there was at least some police presence.

I’m wondering if after crowds dispursed, they went to other calls. Either way, that entire 2-4 block radius and Cal Anderson needs to have some bike/walking patrols. There were people drinking in the street, verbal altercations and warm weather? What do you expect with that combo? Kinda sad. Not the Hill I remember from even a decade ago.

harvardave
harvardave
4 years ago
Reply to  Don

And Rock Box is open until 4am

Don
Don
4 years ago
Reply to  harvardave

Hmm, good point. But earlier comment from “employee at Rockbox” said it didn’t happen there. Later it was corrected.

Many areas have had their issues with night life, e.g. Belltown, Pioneer Square, and even West Seattle now. But, how do we provide proper public safety in these areas without diminished returns on these businesses and becoming a “police state”?

It was seriously crazy down there, so I do believe that the two officers outside of Rhino Room was absolutely appropriate. But, had a huge group started warring, they would have been seriously out numbered. Go to Broadcastify app and you can listen to all the East Precinct live radio and past saved dispatch calls. They are eerie… listening to all of those calls during Friday and Saturday nights.

harvardave
harvardave
4 years ago
Reply to  harvardave

Respect the employee speaking up but doesn’t mean it didn’t happen right in front of the bar or something. Nobody has said yet this didn’t happen in crowd on Nagle. Is that not at the Rock Box if that is the venue open at that hour?

DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
4 years ago
Reply to  harvardave

If you’re not familiar with the area, look at Rockbox on google maps (or go there). Nagle is a narrow alley-type street and there’s a tall chainlink fence between it and the basketball court across the street from Rockbox. There’s very little room to congregate on Nagle.

The employee said the crowd disturbance was happening on the astroturf on the *other* side of the courts. That’s just across from the Rhino Room, a dance club that attracts huge crowds on weekend nights (the only time it’s open).

harvardave
harvardave
4 years ago
Reply to  Don

Am very familiar with the area. And the crowds that form on the southern edges of the park near venues that remain open when bars close and crowds filter out. It sounds like we maybe agree this is a nightlife issue. I think it is too easily to say oh this is because Cal Anderson is a mess or whatever.

Ryan
Ryan
4 years ago
Reply to  harvardave

I saw it. It happened at the entrance to Cal Anderson between the basketball courts and baseball/soccer turf. If you want to associate it with businesses, Molly Moon’s is probably the closest.

Neighbor
4 years ago

So few details about what actually happened. Did someone stab her at random, totally out of the blue? Was there a fight that escalated? Did she know the person who stabbed her? I guess we’ll never know.

Also neighbor
Also neighbor
4 years ago
Reply to  Neighbor

I did a little poking around online/social media, and found that it may not have been totally random. It was likely a fight, and hopefully people have gone to SPD with info.