31 Homicides In Seattle In 2018, The Highest In 10 Years

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle hit a grim milestone in 2018. The city tallied more homicides this year than any year in more than a decade, according to Seattle police statistics.

As of Dec. 19, 31 people had been killed in Seattle, up 19 percent from 2017. Seattle's homicide rate, however, is still well below the national average. There were about 2.3 homicides per 100,000 people in 2018. The national rate is 4.9 per 100,000.

The number of homicides in 2017 was also a high mark. Twenty-six people were murdered last year, the highest since 2009, and a 41 percent increase over 2016.

The total number of violent crimes in 2018 — including rape, robbery, and assault — also hit a 1o-year high, according to SPD figures. There were 4,318 violent crimes as of Dec. 18, the most over the last decade next to 2017 (4,306 violent crimes).

Patch has reached out to SPD multiple times with questions about the 2018 homicides, including how many remain unsolved. We will update this story if we hear back.

Here's a rundown of some homicides that happened in 2018, according to Seattle police.

Dec. 3, 1st Ave and Yesler Way, Pioneer Square
A 37-year-old man was found shot on the sidewalk. He later died at Harborview.
Status: 19-year-old suspect arrested

Nov. 23, 7100 block of 44th Avenue South, Rainier Valley
A woman was found murdered inside a home being used as an illegal marijuana grow operation.
Status: Unknown

Nov. 7, 300 block of 4th Avenue South, Pioneer Square
A 44-year-old man was assaulted during what police called a "disturbance." He later died on Nov. 12.
Status: 41-year-old suspect arrested on Nov. 22

Nov. 4, 8400 block of Rainier Avenue South, Rainier Beach
A 51-year-old man was found dead near a tent in a wooded area off Rainier Avenue near Cloverdale Street.
Status: Unknown

Oct. 25, North 90th Street and Nesbit Avenue North, Licton Springs
A homeless man, Daniel Alberto, 26, was shot and killed in the Licton Springs neighborhood. The suspect surrendered to police at the scene, and has "animosity" toward the homeless, according to King County prosecutors.
Status: John Thomas Davis, 55, has been charged with second-degree murder

Sept. 20, 6th Avenue near James Street, downtown
A man was found bleeding on the street near a homeless encampment. He later died at Harborview.
Status: Unknown

Sept. 1, 10th Avenue South and South Dearborn Street, International District
Police found a man down on the street bleeding. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Status: A 48-year-old suspect was arrested on Sept. 28 near Beer Sheva Park.

Aug. 10, 35th Avenue SW and SW Morgan, High Point
A 37-year-old man was shot and killed around 11 p.m. The victim and the suspect were involved in a dispute on a Metro bus before the shooting.
Status: 16-year-old suspect arrested Aug. 14.

July 28, 8400 block of 1st Avenue South, Highland Park
Police found the victim dead on the ground at around 3:30 p.m. Witnesses saw a car speed away from the scene.
Status: Unknown

July 20, 6th Avenue SW and SW Cambridge Street, Highland Park
The 34-year-old victim was stabbed to death and left in the street.
Status: Police have surveillance video of the suspects

June 30, 1700 1st Avenue South, Sodo
Clemente Harry Morales, 34, was shot after a Nipsey Hussle concert at the Showbox Sodo. Police were on patrol in the area and heard the shots. Morales later died at Harborview.
Status: Unknown

June 25, Yesler Way and 1st Avenue South, Pioneer Square
A 47-year-old man was stabbed at around 4 a.m. He later died at Harborview.
Status: Unknown

June 3, Alki Avenue Southwest and Harbor Avenue Southwest, North Admiral
Police responded to an area near Luna Park around 10 p.m. and found the man with multiple stab wounds. They attempted CPR, but he died at the scene.
Status: Unknown

June 3, Martha Washington Park
Ryan Dela Cruz, 17, was shot multiple times at Martha Washington Park. Witnesses told police that a car pulled up to the park and someone inside opened fire. Dela Cruz was at the park telling ghost stories with his friends.
Status: Unknown

May 8, 4400 block of 35th Avenue Southwest, North Delridge
A man in his 40s was shot and killed at the West Seattle Stadium during a track meet. The victim was shot multiple times and was taken to Harborview in critical condition. He later died there.
Status: Unknown

April 22, 4900 block of 17th Avenue Northwest, Ballard
A 29-year-old man was found in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. He died on his way to the hospital.
Status: Seattle police arrested a 25-year-old suspect on May 1

April 17, 4800 block of Garden Street, Rainier Valley
A 51-year-old man was stabbed multiple times and died at the scene.
Status: Seattle police arrested the victim's 36-year-old brother at the scene.

April 13, 5000 block of 15th Avenue Northwest, Ballard
A 79-year-old man was found dead in a camper. The death was initially thought to have been due to natural causes, but the King County Medical Examiner found a bullet hole in the victim.
Status: Unknown

April 1, 1st Avenue North and Republican Street, Queen Anne
Trevon McKoy, 21, an up-and-coming local rapper, was found shot to death along Warren Avenue near the Seattle Center. He died of gunshot wounds to the head, according to police.
Status: Unknown

March 12, 1300 block of North 43rd Street, Wallingford
Lalita Byrnes, 38, an active member of the Wallingford community, was found stabbed to death in her apartment.
Status: On April 26, Seattle police arrested her roommate, Ian Eugene Flaherty, 25. Flaherty allegedly stabbed Byrnes after she asked him to move out.

Feb. 11, 100 block of South Horton Street, Sodo
A 27-year-old man was shot inside Studio 7 during a show featuring Bay Area hip-hop artist Nef the Pharaoh. The victim later died at Harborview.
Status: Unknown

Feb. 7, 14th Avenue South and South Trenton Street, South Park
A group of men approached Dallas Esparza, 16, while he was dining with his mother near a taco truck. He was shot in the head and died several days later.
Status: Juan Jose Macias, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Jan. 28, 9400 Rainier Avenue South, Rainier Beach
A 34-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the parking lot of a retail business.
Status: A 34-year-old woman told police she stabbed the woman during a dispute.

Jan. 15, 2500 block of NE 107th Street, Lake City
Jennifer Ayers, 63, was raped and murdered in her home. Police arrived at the scene to find her body on fire, a knife sticking out of her buttocks, according to court documents.
Status: Michael Giordano, 23, was arrested in the downtown area on Jan. 15 and is facing an aggravated first-degree murder charge, among other charges.

Here are the annual homicide totals dating back to 2008.

• 2018 —31
• 2017 — 26
• 2016 — 19
• 2015 — 24
• 2014 — 23
• 2013 — 19
• 2012 — 24
• 2011 — 23
• 2010 — 19
• 2009 — 21
• 2008 — 29

Caption: On Nov. 4, police the scene of homicide in the woods off of Rainier Avenue. A man was found dead in a tent there.

File photo