Tag Archives: first hill

Police: Evidence links First Hill ax murder suspect to killing of homeless man in 12th Ave alley

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A memorial to Paul Ewell (Image: United Way of King County)

Seattle Police say they have evidence that Liam Kryger, the First Hill resident jailed and charged in the bloody ax killing outside Seattle’s Town Hall in February, also used the weapon to slaughter a man sleeping in a 12th Ave alley 12 days earlier.

Detectives say mobile phone and video evidence shows Kryger carrying the ax behind the office building of the Seattle Men’s Chorus where 68-year-old Paul Ewell was found murdered early on February 10th with injuries “created by a heavy sharp object similar to a hatchet, axe, or maul” indicating “there were at least three such strikes to his head.” Continue reading →

Police say man shot as gunfire reported at huge rooftop party atop First Hill apartment tower

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(Image: Ovation Apartments)

A pre-dawn party with a reported 200 revelers on the rooftop of a luxury First Hill apartment building ended with gunfire and a bloodied victim in serious condition early Sunday morning.

Seattle Police were called to the 700 block of Spring just before 6 AM as 911 callers reported 20 or more gunshots from the top of one of the twin 32-story towers and at least one person shot.

Arriving officers found a 22-year-old bleeding inside one of the building’s elevators. He had been shot at least three times according to emergency radio updates. The victim reportedly told police he did not know who had shot him and was not in any kind of altercation. Police say he was taken to Harborview in serious condition by Seattle Fire. Continue reading →

Wier Harman Way — Longtime Town Hall Seattle director to be remembered with honorary renaming of stretch of 8th Ave

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(Image: Town Hall Seattle)

While Tuesday’s meeting of the Seattle City Council’s transportation committee included some shenanigans, the council members also found time to move an important honorary renaming of a First Hill street forward.

Tuesday, the committee approved a resolution designating 8th Ave between Seneca and Spring in front of First Hill’s Town Hall Seattle as Wier Harman Way. Continue reading →

It has been anything but ‘rapid’ but RapidRide G bus transit project is now lined up for end of summer start

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(Image: SDOT)

 

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With just over 150 days to a possible start of service on the line, the final efforts of construction workers and local legislators are aligning to begin RapidRide G bus service on the just under 2.50-mile, 10-station Madison route — maybe as soon as August.

Tuesday, the King County Council approved Ordinance 2024-0053 to establish service on the new RapidRide G connecting Seattle’s downtown to Madison Valley, passing through First Hill, Capitol Hill, and the Central District. The ordinance also officially revises eight nearby bus routes effective at the end of summer.

Officials say construction for the G Line is nearing completion with service on the new line anticipated to begin at the Fall 2024 service change — tentatively August 31st. The arrival of that milestone will be very welcome to transit officials facing skepticism about the return on investment for the surprisingly slow and costly to implement “bus rapid transit” that has been touted as a cheaper, faster, more effective solution than costly light rail and streetcar lines. Continue reading →

Suspect pleads not guilty in First Hill ax murder of homeless camper

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From Kryger’s Facebook page

The 25-year-old First Hill resident charged in the killing of a homeless man outside Seattle’s Town Hall has pleaded not guilty.

Liam Kryger is charged with first degree murder.

King County Prosecutors say Kryger killed 52-year-old Daravuth Van with an ax as he camped near the First Hill event venue last month.

CHS reported here on Kryger’s arrest after two murders and an assault that left a man in critical condition in Cal Anderson in area attacks that targeted homeless victims sleeping outside in February.

Kryger is charged in one of the deadly attacks. Police have not announced any arrests in the other investigations.

The charging documents for the First Hill murder don’t link the cases but Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz has said Kryger was arrested as detectives were on the lookout for a suspect possibly preying on people unhoused when they spotted a man carrying an ax and lost track of him near Freeway Park.

The ax was traced to a nearby Lowe’s home improvement store where SPD gathered images of the purchaser. A department of corrections officer was able to identify the suspect as Kryger and police and SWAT moved to arrest him near his 10th Ave residence.

Prosecutors say the First Hill case also has video evidence clearly linking Kryger to the slaying.

Kryger’s path through the justice system could involve questions of his mental health. Prosecutors say Kryger was previously arrested in 2018 for a violent burglary and stabbing in North Bend that placed him in a treatment program under supervision of the King County Mental Health Court. Kryger failed to attend a scheduled review hearing in late 2019 but managed to steer clear of the law until his arrest this winter.

Mental health competency procedures can take years to play out in the court system. In 2009, CHS reported on the long process that led to restored competency and a guilty plea in the 2007 murder of Capitol Hill resident Shannon Harps.

Kryger remains held on $5 million bail at the King County Jail where he has been held since his March 3rd arrest.

 

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Standoff with robbery suspects inside First Hill apartment unit shuts down Madison

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Five people were taken into custody and police had the area around Madison and Boylston locked down Thursday morning while dealing with a group of robbery suspects believed to be barricaded inside a sixth floor apartment unit.

SPD was called to the First Hill apartment building just after 4 AM after a man was reported down and bleeding from his head in the lobby of the highrise.

Officers were told multiple suspects were inside a 6th floor unit in the building. Continue reading →

Suspect charged in First Hill ax murder investigation — UPDATE

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The 25-year-old resident investigated in the killing of a homeless man with an ax on First Hill has been charged with first degree murder.

King County Prosecutors say Liam Kryger, 25, killed 52-year-old Daravuth Van with an ax as he camped near First Hill’s Town Hall.

Prosecutors say Kryger was previously arrested in 2018 for a violent burglary and stabbing in North Bend that placed him in a treatment program under supervision of the King County Mental Health Court. Kryger failed to attend a scheduled review hearing in late 2019 but apparently had steered clear of the law until his arrest Sunday. Continue reading →

First Hill man arrested in ax murder as Seattle Police secretly searched for suspect preying on homeless — UPDATE: CHARGED

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The Town Hall murder scene (Image: SPD)

Details from Chief Adrian Diaz of the arrest of a First Hill resident in the brutal ax murder of a homeless man outside 8th Ave’s Town Hall last month reveal Seattle Police were secretly tracking a possible killer preying on Seattle’s unhoused.

Liam Kryger, 25, is being held in King County Jail on $5 million bail after being arrested by SWAT and police Sunday at Spruce and Broadway near his 10th Ave First Hill apartment. Prosecutors say they expect a charging decision in the case Wednesday.

Diaz revealed details of Kryger’s arrest two weeks after the killing in a lightly attended press conference Monday night as he described the SPD detective work that led to police pursuing a suspect carrying an ax early Saturday into Freeway Park. Diaz says the suspect was able to escape but dropped the ax.

Police were able to trace the ax to a February purchase at the Lowe’s store on Rainier Ave. Kryger was identified as the purchaser after a department of corrections officer recognized him from images police obtained of the home improvement store transaction.

According to the police report and initial court documents in the case, 52-year-old Daravuth Van was murdered as he camped near First Hill’s Town Hall, suffering a crushing blow to the head. Continue reading →

Fire-ravaged building home to Vito’s and 75 low-income apartments demolished on First Hill

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Thanks to reader Allan for the picture

The 122-year-old apartment building home to Vito’s and providing subsidized housing in its four stories above Madison has been demolished and trucked away.

There is no public plan for what will come next on the former site of The Madison Apartments. Continue reading →

‘Suspicious death’ investigation after man found down outside First Hill’s Town Hall — UPDATE

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Seattle Police are investigating after a man was found dead outside Town Hall on First Hill early Thursday morning. SPD said it was investigating the death as suspicious.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene just after 5 AM to a report of a man who appeared to be in his 50s down outside the building at 8th and Seneca with a head injury. According to SFD radio updates, the man was found dead and the coroner was immediately called to the scene.

Police were taping off the area as homicide detectives gathered evidence and traffic was closed in the area during the response.

The suspicious death comes as investigators have identified the victim in a Saturday, February 10th in an alley off 12th Ave as a longtime homeless resident of the area.

UPDATE: SPD has posted a brief on the investigation:

(Image: SPD)

Homicide detectives are investigating a suspicious death after a body was found in First Hill Thursday morning.

Shortly after 5:00 a.m., officers responded to a report of a deceased male in the 1100 block of 8th Avenue. Police arrived and located the victim lying in an alcove of a building.

Officers secured the area until Homicide detectives and members of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit arrived. The King County Medical Examiner responded to the scene and will determine cause and manner of death.

If anyone has information regarding this investigation, please call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

 

 

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