Seattle Crime Reports : Seattle Crime Blog : Seattle, Washington

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On the Soundoff page of an article regarding the Shannon Harps murder in today's P.I., commenter mik kacian is gloating - and they've got a right to.

I was the first person on PI soundoff and all the media to blame mental illness. This was met with such opposition and denial from so many. Why so many folks are in such denial about mental illness here?! It's not rocket science, it's in your face everyday, and it's not supposed to be like that in a jurisdiction where a lot of people get paid to take care of this issues. Just say it: MENTAL ILLNESS IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN SEATTLE'S RESIDENTIAL AREAS! It's like talking about race here! taboo taboo, taboo! and the problem goes on on and on.

Don't believe mik kacian's assertions that they were first to point the finger in the right direction? Then look below for a post we at Seattle Crime Blog originally authored on January 3, 2008 - just three days after Shannon Harps' murder - but decided against publishing, for fear of needlessly throwing blame around so soon after the victim's death.

But, our beliefs on the role of the mentally ill in this slaying remained in the back of our minds, waiting for the right opportunity to come forth...so in light of recent developments (and due to the fact that we put some work into it that would otherwise go to waste), we feel this lengthy post deserves to see the light of day. See the full rant after the jump.

Note: the rant below was originally authored January 3, 2008, and features a P.I. commenter who seemed to have remarkable foresight on who would go down for Shannon Harps' murder.

In the Soundoff section of the P.I.'s coverage this morning, readers are pointing out that there could potentially be a connection between Capitol Hill's mentally ill community and Harps' murder. Please note that at this point, none of this is anything more than speculation...there has been absolutely no official connection made between Harps' murder and the residents of local mental health homes. But it makes you wonder...especially since, as commenter mik kacian notes, members of the mentally ill community have been responsible for local assaults in the past.

mik kacian's post is pretty solid all the way through, and raises some good questions. They write:

He went East on Howell and south on 16th? There is a huge mental illness facility, as well as some funky housing for them is scattered around that facility. They always hang out outside, bang their heads on the walls and walk around in total confusion. [Note: the Seattle Crime Blogger can attest to this fact, as he has witnessed the aforementioned activity on multiple occasions - Ed.] Anyone bothered to check there? It's crazy how the city allows such facilities to be so close to residential, school, and other public spaces. Mental illness is a serious issue, and is out of control in Seattle. The amount of mentally ill here is amazing. I never seen so many sick people in public spaces without any supervision ever anywhere. Downtown, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, University District, metro buses, etc. It's unbelievable, I am beginning to think that local government don't want to deal with this, or don't think it is an issue.

I have no doubt that it was done by a mentally disturbed person. [As usual, emphasis added by the Seattle Crime Blogger - Ed.]

Of course, as is often the case here in the National Capitol of Political Correctness, other readers were quick to jump on mik kacian and criticize his seemingly logical response. Aptly-named user Liberal Dragon retorts:

Your sense of reality here is way off and it's "not just that facility on 16th" that's the problem. It's the mentally ill on Broadway, Downtown and across every city in the U.S. because we simply don't believe in taking care of, or making the financial investment to take care of people suffering from mental illness.

Please stop the finger pointing and witch hunt tactics. It's not the local government that's the problem here, it's the Federal Government because Seattle is NOT imune to this problem.

"Witch hunt tactics?" Please. Spare us the preaching. mik kacian's post is simply making connections from the point of reason, without taking a specific side in the debate. Bringing in national problems and blaming the federal government does nothing to help solve Harps' murder, and turns an incredibly local issue into one that covers the entire nation. Liberal Dragon may very well be correct in their assertions on the problems spawned by the federal government; but this is neither the time nor the place.

It is obvious to anyone with half a brain: Seattle is notorious for being overly accepting of problematic individuals. And now, if mik kacian's assertions are correct (and that's a big if), it appears that our liberal approach to the mentally ill may have led to murder.

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"Was Shannon Harps' murder on Capitol Hill a random attack?" That was a question we posed on January 3rd, in the immediate aftermath of Harps' brutal stabbing at 15th & Howell.

Now, more than three weeks later, we finally have an answer: yes.

UPDATE:

We don't know where he got it or whether it's legit, but Dan Savage at SLOG has published a picture of the suspect in custody (who the Times and P.I. are still too timid to name, let alone show). And my oh my, what a...unique...looking fellow he is. The Seattle Crime Blog doesn't normally agree with Dan, but his quote on the matter sums it up best:

No one deserves to have this be the last thing they see before they die.

One last observation before we check out for the evening: don't know about you, but we don't see any real similarities - aside from the presence of facial hair - between this...

...and this: 

Is the photograph above really the man who killed Harps? If so, how would witnesses not have remembered his distinguishing features when speaking to the police sketch artist in the hours after her killing?

Extra kudos to SLOG, from whom I acquired the above photograph.

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A man has been arrested in connection with Harps' slaying at 15th & Howell, says the P.I.

Police are having a press conference on the issue at 4 p.m. More news as soon as I have time to blog it after that...

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Remember the guy police were calling a "person of interest" in the Shannon Harps murder? There's no DNA evidence linking him to the crime after all, says The Times.

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Just got back from the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Forum over at Group Health, which lasted about an hour and a half. My impressions?

First of all, the event was pretty packed. I got there at about 5:45 p.m. and was shocked at how few folks were in attendance; but by 5:55, all the seats in the room - I'm guessing there were between 150-200 - were filling up. By 6:05 it was standing room only.

And the people in attendance weren't just my Capitol Hill neighbors. On the news media side, I spotted the ever-friendly Casey McNerthney from the P.I. Elisa Hahn from King 5 was there with a cameraman, and commented to me that since the Carnation murders, there's seemingly been a noticeable increase in local crime. I noted that the holidays must bring out the worst in us Northwesterners.

And the politicians: outgoing Seattle City Council president Nick Licata was on-hand, along with councilmembers Sally Clark and Tim Burgess (the latter of whom was sworn in just a few days ago). Police officers were out in full force as well. Lieutenant John Hayes, a well-known figure on Capitol Hill for at least as long as I've lived here, played a prominent role in the evening's discussion, and East Precinct Captain Paul McDonagh fielded a vast majority of community questions.

Even Mayor Greg Nickels was there, shaking attendees hands and thanking them for coming. I wasn't expecting his presence, but it was a pleasant surprise. People can criticize the mayor all they want, but it was a nice gesture of him to come out on a rainy night and show his support for Capitol Hill.

After some obligatory introductions and 30 seconds of silence, McDonagh gave a rundown of Harps' murder and the ongoing investigation surrounding it. While officials couldn't say much - as is often the case with details of an ongoing investigation - one thing appeared clear: they still don't know whether Harps knew her assailant or not.

"We need to get this person," said Nick Metz, an assistant chief with the SPD who oversees their Investigations Bureau. "We don’t know whether this person knew Shannon or didn’t know Shannon, and these are things that obviously create a great deal of fear in the community.”

Shortly after this rundown came the "Community Questions & Concerns" portion of the forum. I've never been to an event like this, so I can't say if this is the norm...but it appeared that a lot of folks took advantage of the opportunity and used it as a soapbox. I counted a total of 20 questions from community members, the vast majority of whom either asked about off-topic issues or didn't ask a question at all, using the time ramble about some other vaguely-related safety matter. One man even took the time to subtly blame fiscal conservatives for Harps' murder.

I understand that this forum was partially to help the community heal, and for that I can see why some used the Q & A as a chance to vent the emotions that have been building since Harps' death. But I went into the evening expecting more insightful discussion about the problems in our community and what the city of Seattle is doing to improve them. Complaining about perceived negative interactions with SPD in the past is doing everything but addressing the issues of the future (which I assumed was the focus going into this event).

Ultimately, I got the impression that a lot of these people expect SPD to put an end to all crime, immediately. Many seem unaware that they live in a neighborhood that I'll bet sits comfortably in the top 5% of safest urban communities in the world. Have we begun to take our incredibly high standard of living for granted?

One woman went so far as to claim that Capitol Hill is "beset" with crime, a claim that all personal experience and statistical data would disagree with. As Mayor Nickels noted at one point in the evening, Seattle's crime rate is at its lowest since 1968. Last year, while similar sized cities (D.C., Milwaukee & Boston) had between 66 and 181 homicides, Seattle had 24. Crime can't be eradicated completely...the idea that it can is a fallacy. But SPD has done a damn good job at keeping crime rates down, and thankfully a couple individuals used their chance on the microphone to note this.

Still, one legitimate concern of community members that came through loud and clear was their unified agreement on one issue: that in darkness, outdoor lighting on Capitol Hill sucks. While I can't say I agree with them, it's interesting that this is a concern shared by many locals. And judging by the reactions of SPD and representatives from the City Council, I have a feeling that lighting on the Hill - or the lack thereof - will be addressed in the very near future.

For a more detailed rundown of the overall event, check out the coverage over at Big City Hippie.

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Police and community members will be getting together on Capitol Hill this evening to discuss safety in our neighborhood in the wake of Shannon Harps' brutal stabbing at 15th & Howell. Should be an interesting discussion, and I'd imagine there will be quite a few folks there.

Details, according to the Miller Park Neighborhood Association Blog:

When: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM

Where: Group Health Capitol Hill Campus, South Building , Level A, Atrium
201 16th Ave East , Seattle WA 98112

I'll be there...and I hope to see some of you readers in attendance as well. If the event is worthwhile, expect to see a commentary/follow-up piece here in the SCB.

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That's the question that, three days after the victim's brutal stabbing at 15th & Howell,  many Hill dwellers are asking.

I'm among them...my residence is just a few blocks away from the street corner where Harps lay dying, and my community is visibly shaken by the events. News crews have taken over the soon-to-be new park on Howell between 15th & 16th (which at this point is still a parking lot), and the makeshift candlelight vigil erected in Harps' memory seems to be attracting visitors around the clock.

Some of them are friends and co-workers of Ms. Harps; the rest, I'd imagine, are here to see the scene for themselves...perhaps to confirm that such a shocking act could occur in the picturesque residential community where burglary is often the most serious crime making headlines.

Since I haven't posted anything on this crime so far, here is the rough overview: on Monday night, Harps' neighbors reported hearing a woman screaming just after 7 p.m. They called police, who arrived to find the 31-year-old victim bleeding on the sidewalk outside her apartment near 15th & Howell, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Despite being rushed to Harborview by paramedics, Harps didn't survive the night.

And still, there are no suspects to be named. From the P.I.'s coverage this morning:

Witnesses described the man as white, in his 40s, with a scruffy beard 3 to 4 inches long, and wearing a ski cap, blue hooded jacket and baggy pants. He might have worn a yellow hooded sweatshirt under his coat and was seen running east on Howell and south on 16th Avenue, police said.

An alright description, but there's a problem: in Seattle's winters, bearded men in bulky clothing come a dime a dozen. The police sketching that has been released (above) is so vague that it offers little in helping to identify a unique or memorable suspect.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood has seen a significant boost in police patrols. Yesterday I witnessed squad cars all day, parked on street corners and driving up and down some of the upper-teen avenues.

While helicopters hovered overhead and news reporters waited patiently at the scene of the crime for new developments, Capitol Hill's residents have been forced to ring in the new year by coming to terms with a painful realization: even in a close-knit community like the one surrounding 15th Avenue East, crime - and apparently even senseless murder - is a very real threat for all of us.