Friends want answers after West Seattle man gunned down overnight
SEATTLE - One man is dead and another is fighting for his life after an overnight shooting in West Seattle. Police have made an arrest in the case, but friends and neighbors still have a lot of questions.
John Hawkley and Gina Kaukola decided to close Cyclops Café tonight, after hearing that one of their cooks had been killed in this West Seattle neighborhood overnight.
“I couldn't even believe it,” says Hawkley. “I was like no, this isn't real.”
Police say neighbors heard gunshots around 1:30 am. When officers arrived on 23rd Ave SW, they found two people in the street. One had already died, the other was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Investigators say there might have been some sort of disturbance or fight before the shooting.
“I just want to get the message out that the guns have to go away. We're all just so sick of it,” says Hawkley.
People who have lived in the High Point area of West Seattle for a while say crime has been an issue here.
“We all hear things at night that are either gunshots or fireworks, you're never quite sure. If you don't hear sirens afterwards, you figure it's probably fireworks,” says Blaine Edwards.
But he says when the police opened a station on Delridge Way, it seemed like things got safer. Brooke George agreed.
“When we were moving in this area, that was a huge plus for us,” she says. “We thought that would be a deterrent, so it's kind of unsettling to hear about a shooting.”
Police say they have made an arrest in last night’s shooting. Even though they are not releasing any information about the shooter or the motive yet, friends of the victim say they’re relieved.
“That helps to know that somebody is in custody, that hopefully someone will pay for this.”