Federal Way mayor, police chief pledge “all our resources” to solve recent homicides
Published 2:44 pm Wednesday, May 11, 2016
At a Wednesday morning news conference, Federal Way’s mayor and police chief pledged “all our resources” to investigating three recent murders and stemming the tide of gun violence that has hit the city this week.
“We’re not dealing with any issue bigger than this in Federal Way,” said police chief Andy Hwang. “Our No. 1 priority, for the police department right now – all of our resources are going toward solving these crimes.”
Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell said the city is working to fill its seven open police officer positions – he noted an officer was “just actually hired yesterday” – but said the process has been slow due to a backlog at academies, normal hiring delays and there being more positions open than there are candidates.
Hwang said Federal way is “partnering and seeking support from” the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the King County Prosecutor’s Office; and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. Additionally, the Federal Way Police Department is “significantly increasing” the visibility of its uniformed personnel in places where the shootings have occurred.
Hwang said the three homicides – two on Monday and one on Tuesday – were not related to each other. He described one of the murders, that of a 27-year-old man killed late Monday night, as having “drug activity, drug transaction” involved, but said the other two didn’t appear to be drug-related.
According to Hwang, the most recent killing, that of a 30-year-old shot multiple times in the 1800 block of Southwest 356th Street, happened while the victim was out on a late-night run with his dog.
“As a community, we’ve never faced having three homicides in a very short duration such as this,” Hwang said. “It is certainly an alarm within the police department; it’s alarming to our community.”
Hwang added there has been a “clear uptick” in gun violence so far this year, and that it’s unlike previous increases in such crimes.
“We had an uptick in gun violence in 2014,” he said. “This feels different. When we had an uptick with gun violence then, it was geographically more [on] the north end of town. What we’re seeing with these incidents – it’s really throughout the entire city. It’s not focused to any particular area.”
Hwang advised Federal Way residents to take “extra safety precautions” until those responsible for the killings have been apprehended. Those precautions include avoiding walking the streets at night in secluded areas like trails, being in a group when out in the dark, and reporting any suspicious activity by calling 911.
He also reiterated that the department is asking for help from the public to identify those involved in the homicide and encouraged anyone with information to contact them (253-835- 2121) or to visit the department’s anonymous tip website, www.safecityfw.com.
The press conference was called Wednesday morning after Federal Way’s third homicide since Monday. Prior to introducing Hwang, Ferrell said, “The greatest responsibility I have as your mayor is to keep our residents safe. Public safety and quality of life remain my top priority. We are addressing a serious public safety issue, and it’s important to notify the community of these concerns.”
After Hwang spoke, Ferrell said the city remains committed to following through with the three-pronged plan announced yesterday, which includes increased police presence in crime-affected areas, partnering with the county prosecutor’s office to “vigorously prosecute gun violence offenders” and scheduling a “coalition/forum community meeting” to support youth and reduce violent crime.
A video of Wednesday’s press conference is available to watch on Federal Way’s official city YouTube channel.
