SEATTLE \u2014 Seattle police are looking for a suspect tied to the killing of a University of Washington student Sunday night at an apartment complex filled with other UW students. <\/p>\n
The Seattle Police Department said officers are looking for a man described as 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a beard, wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. <\/p>\n
UW police said he is believed to be 25 to 30 years old and ran from the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis individual just committed a homicide; they should be considered armed and dangerous,\u201d Seattle Police Department Det. Eric Munoz said. \u201cIf we can provide more information to the public, we will. We don’t believe at this point anyone else is at risk; however, this is still an armed and dangerous homicide suspect. It’s important we catch them and bring them to justice as fast as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to police, officers were dispatched to a report of a stabbing at the Nordheim Court Apartments in the 5000 block of 25th Avenue NE around 10:10 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n
Police found a 19-year-old woman dead in a laundry room in Building 7. Officers and firefighters tried to revive her, but she was pronounced dead. Police said the victim is believed to be a UW student and a transgender woman. The King County Medical Examiner will confirm the victim\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
KOMO News spoke with multiple students who live at Nordheim Court, including Audrey, a freshman architecture major.<\/p>\n
A Nordheim Court representative asked a KOMO News crew to leave the property minutes after they arrived outside the office. The crew requested an interview with management but was told no, and that any information would have to come from Seattle police.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, thinking about it happening on Mother\u2019s Day and that girl is someone\u2019s baby \u2014 her mom had to get that news \u2014 is so heartbreaking,\u201d Audrey said.<\/p>\n
A UW senior named Grace got a text alert from the university late Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stayed in my apartment because they told us to lock your doors and lock your windows,\u201d Grace told KOMO News.<\/p>\n
She is now highlighting her safety concerns at the 450-unit complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe laundry room where the victim was stabbed \u2014 the lock to that laundry room actually doesn\u2019t work,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d like to see UW and Greystar be more accountable in handling their security protocols and keeping up with them, because I feel like something like this shouldn\u2019t have happened in the first place and we should be prioritizing the safety and well-being of students in their own homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debbie Delatorre, who has two granddaughters and a niece who attend the university, said she went to the crime scene to pray for students\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody should have to send their kids to school worried they\u2019re not going to be OK,\u201d Delatorre said.<\/p>\n
Delatorre said one of her granddaughters was the victim of stalking in the fall while living off campus in a private apartment building. She said repeated calls to police and installing a Ring camera scared the person off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said prayers here. We hope they do something so nothing else like this happens,\u201d Delatorre said. \u201cThey need to increase security for the students here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students said the killing has been difficult to process and raised concerns about the victim being identified as a transgender woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my roommates and I were really upset to hear that \u2014 worried it was a hate crime of some sort,\u201d Audrey said.<\/p>\n
Ella, a Bellevue College sophomore, said she was visiting a friend when police responded late Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought maybe there had been an altercation outside the courtyard, but to find out it was a transgender woman killed in the laundry room \u2014 that\u2019s scarier,\u201d Ella said.<\/p>\n
Police have not released a motive.<\/p>\n
Multiple students at the scene described the situation as sad and shocking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and loved ones of the UW student who was killed late last night. There are no words that can express the profound loss of a student,\u201d UW President Robert J. Jones said in a statement to KOMO News.<\/p>\n
While investigators have not yet identified a suspect or a motive, I want to recognize that when violence affects a trans person, it can be especially worrying to our LGBTQIA+ community members. Our Division of Student Life is reaching out to students affected and providing support and resources to help them through this very difficult ordeal,” Jones continued. “We are grateful to the Seattle Police Department homicide division for leading the investigation as they work to find the person responsible for this horrendous crime.<\/p>\n
Campus police cordoned off the area, and Seattle police took over the investigation. Detectives with the Homicide and Crime Scene Investigation units processed the scene and are investigating what led up to the killing.<\/p>\n
Throughout the night, police searched and secured the area and asked Nordheim Court residents to remain indoors, but that request was lifted just before 1 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are unable to confirm the identity of the student who was killed in the laundry room at Nordheim Court Building 7 until the student\u2019s family has been notified, and we will respect their privacy throughout this process,\u201d UW spokesperson Victor Balta said in a statement to KOMO News. \u201cNo suspect has been identified, and no motive for this crime has been established. Nordheim Court is operated by Greystar, and the UW is working with Greystar to ensure residents there are receiving support and resources in light of this tragedy. The Seattle Police Department is leading the homicide investigation, and questions specifically about the investigation should be directed to SPD.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victim\u2019s identity will be released by the King County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000.<\/p>\n
The University of Washington called the death at Nordheim Court \u201cdeeply distressing\u201d and said support is available for students:<\/p>\n
SafeCampus<\/a> is available to discuss (anonymously or otherwise) safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others by calling 206-685-7233 or via email at safecampus@uw.edu. Their skilled team of violence prevention specialists is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., excluding UW holidays.Husky Assist<\/a> is the UW mobile response team that provides on-site behavioral health support for students, faculty, and staff in crisis on the UW campus in Seattle. You can call on Husky Assist when you or a student, faculty, or staff member on campus is facing an urgent mental health or substance use issue. Husky Assist team members are trained mental health professionals who can respond compassionately to a variety of situations. Call 206-543-9331or 911 to reach Husky Assist for help on the Seattle campus.<\/p>\n The Seattle LGBTQ Commission issued a statement on Monday regarding the incident:<\/p>\n The Seattle LGBTQ Commission is deeply heartbroken following the brutal murder of a nineteen-year-old transgender woman near the University of Washington\u2019s campus late last evening.<\/p>\n We express an all-too-familiar grief in our community: Trans and Queer young people, the community members who embody the best and brightest hopes for our future, are often gone too soon as a result of horrific acts of violence against them.<\/p>\n While we would hope for a different reality in Seattle, a city that openly celebrates Trans and Queer people, it is clear that there is much work to be done.<\/p>\n The Seattle LGBTQ Commission invites our wider community to join us in mourning this tragic death, checking in with 2SLGBTQIA+ neighbors, advocating for culturally relevant public safety options, and taking time to learn more about the stark conditions transgender people face, locally and nationwide.<\/p>\n As we do so, may we remember this beautiful young life tragically lost by mourning with those most heartbroken and calling for the necessary social and systemic reforms to prevent such losses from ever occurring in our community.<\/p>\n We ask for a thoughtful partnership in contemplating each of our parts to play in not just keeping our community members safe from harm, but creating a more just world for all of us to thrive, live safely, and with dignity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2014 Seattle police are looking for a suspect tied to the killing of a University of Washington…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":637995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-637994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}