SEATTLE — First, a Ballard man whose parked car was damaged in a hail of gunfire during last week's deadly shooting in Seattle's Central District was told the car would be impounded as evidence in a murder.
Then, Joseph Phillips was told--when detectives release it--he must pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for repairs just to make the car legally drivable again.
Joseph Phillips moved to Seattle from Austin, Texas, only two months ago to work as an addiction recovery specialist. "The move here really set me back," he said. "In order to get those repairs done, I have to come up with $500 cash, which I don't have.''
Last Friday, May 10, Phillips and a friend parked his car near a recommended restaurant on 23rd and Union.
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As they walked back to his parked car, they didn't realize the shooting happened only moments earlier. Phillips noticed holes smashed in the rear and front windshields. They didn't realize three people had just been shot right next to it.
"We thought at first somebody hit it with rocks," he said. "Until we realized we were standing in blood. And we were literally kicking shell casings around."
Seattle police rushed in by the dozens, and pushed Phillips and his friend away from the crime scene, which spanned three city blocks.
Right next to Joseph's car, Deshawn Lexing-Walker, 19, had been fatally shot, along with two other men who survived. Joseph's car was hit along with a sign it was parked next to, and a recycling container--which is still there--is riddled with bullet holes. A week later, Seattle police had not arrested any suspects in connection with the shooting, where 29 shots were fired.
"They told me they were keeping my car as evidence and it's been held at the homicide unit for forensics," said Phillips.
Phillips made a GoFundMe page, hoping for help with the deductible, realizing families have lost far more than money. "My heart goes out to the families that were involved in this,'' he said.
"It's unfortunate that there is somebody out there somewhere in this city who knows more information and I wish they'd honestly find the courage to come forward and tell someone," he said.
Cox Media Group
