UW student concerned over 911 response to potential suspect sighting

UW student reported possible sighting of stabbing suspect, says he was ignored

A University of Washington senior who attempted to report a potential suspect sighting following a deadly off-campus stabbing says he was routed to a voicemail tip line instead of receiving an immediate police response.

SEATTLE - A University of Washington senior who attempted to report a potential suspect sighting following a deadly off-campus stabbing says he was routed to a voicemail tip line instead of receiving an immediate police response.

Ayden Roar, a UW senior, called 911 prior to the arrest of 31-year-old murder suspect Christopher Leahy. Leahy has been charged in the May 10 death of 19-year-old Juniper Blessing, who was killed inside the Nordheim Court Apartments.

Roar stated that he was directed to a tip line voicemail twice when trying to report a man matching the suspect's description provided by police. He, like many other students, was actively on the lookout for the suspect but worried his call went unheard.

"It's such a tragic thing and bringing this guy to justice was really on the top of a lot of our minds living around here," Roar said.

Student questions dispatch protocol

Roar expressed frustration over the emergency response, noting that he pressed dispatchers to send officers to his location immediately.

"I was feeling a little bit frustrated. I pushed back on it a little bit," Roar said. "I said, 'This is, you know, what I was just met with previously. I'm hoping we can have somebody dispatched out here because if this is the suspect, he's walking away' and pretty much, they said, 'That's the protocol. That's how they want us to do it.'"

Though Roar later clarified that the person he spotted was not Leahy, he remains deeply concerned about emergency protocols following the loss of a student's life.

"Someone who just started their college career and so young. It's absolutely heartbreaking," Roar said.

City cites high call volume

The Seattle CARE Department and the Seattle Police Department confirmed that dispatchers were instructed to route calls to a tip line. Officials stated the directive was due to a high volume of calls regarding the case.

According to the Seattle Police Department, the tip line was monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and handled nearly 100 tips.

Security footage obtained by prosecutors from a neighboring home shows Leahy attempting to force his way into a house one street over from Roar's residence five days before Blessing was killed.

"Knowing that, you know, someone was going up and down our streets and testing our doorknobs, that's a really scary situation," Roar said.

Next steps in court

Seattle police contacted Roar regarding his concerns after he shared them publicly. While Roar hopes the interaction leads to better communication in the future, he expressed skepticism about systemic adjustments.

"Surely this isn't the first time that something like this has happened, and so, if they haven't changed their process by now, you know, I'm not too optimistic," Roar said.

Leahy was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. However, the hearing was rescheduled to June 4 after his defense team requested additional time to evaluate his mental health and competency.

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