Community honors legacy of beloved business owner killed in Seattle's Central District

A memorial of flowers, candles, cards, balloons and pictures grew in a neighborhood of Seattle’s Central District honoring the life of a beloved community member. Loved ones identified D’Vonne Pickett Jr. as the business owner who was shot and killed Wednesday evening.

SEATTLE - A memorial of flowers, candles, cards, balloons and pictures grew in a neighborhood of Seattle’s Central District honoring the life of a beloved community member. Loved ones identified D’Vonne Pickett Jr. as the business owner who was shot and killed Wednesday evening.

"This was somebody who was unjustly taken from us that means a lot to this whole community," said William Hunt, a community member mourning the loss. "It’s bad when the good people from the community get taken away from us for no reason at all."

Pickett was shot at The Postman, a mail service business he owned and created in the Central District to honor his great-grandfather who worked in mail services. In an area experiencing gentrification, loved ones said Pickett was committed to bringing Black business to Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood.

"It was just great to be in the store and feel the energy and to know that we had a brother owning a business in this community," said Patricia Valentine, a customer and community member. "It’s hard to talk about, it’s hard to think about, and it’s hard to recognize that we’re not going to have him in the community anymore."

More than just a successful businessman—Pickett was a devoted father, husband, youth sports coach student-athlete at Seattle University and played professional basketball internationally. Thursday, cries from his mother echoed through the streets as she stood at the memorial in disbelief that her son and all of his accomplishments will be a memory.

Photo by Brandon Hill Photography

"No mother wants to wake up in that club. No mother wants to wake up in the club of knowing that your child will not be home at dinner or will not be at any holiday celebrations anymore," said Rev. Harriett Walden, founder of Mothers of Police Accountability.

Seattle Police and King County SWAT teams arrested the shooter suspected of taking Pickett’s life. Detectives said that person is also linked to another homicide and multiple shooting investigations in the area. Investigators said they are still working to determine the motive in this deadly shooting.

Even with the arrest, it doesn’t bring Pickett back and it doesn’t ease the community’s sense of security.

"We really want to have this shot spotter. We really want more protection in our community, be able to know where these shots are coming from," said Walden.

Though Pickett is gone, his community will carry his legacy by honoring the mission of his business, "Keeping communities connected."

"We’re looking for a brighter day and we’ll create that brighter day. If not us, who will? We are the ones who are here and it’s our time and it’s on our watch. And we will do something about this," said Walden.

"The love that this community still has is what it’s all about. We are standing together and we’re not going anywhere," said Valentine.

Mayor Bruce Harrell offered his condolences to Pickett’s loved ones and community. In a statement, he wrote, "We know gun violence affects our communities every day in different forms, and disproportionately impacts communities of color and young Black men. We cannot allow a senseless tragedy like this to be the norm in our city. I will continue to take meaningful, urgent action to comprehensively address public safety in Seattle, tackle gun violence like the public health crisis we know it is, and build a safe city for all."