An early-morning gunfire incident was reported near Beach Drive SW and SW Oregon Street, where responding officers recovered two spent 20-gauge shotgun shells but found no injuries or property damage. A 911 caller reported the shots around 2:20 am near the intersection, close to Me-Kwa-Mooks Park and the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, two of West Seattle's most storied waterfront green spaces.
According to West Seattle Blog, radio archives show responding officers found shotgun rounds at the scene, and the SPD report narrative described two spent shotgun 20-gauge casings recovered from the area. Nearby residents told police they saw a black sedan leaving southbound after the shots rang out, though no suspect has been identified or apprehended.
A Park With a Painful History
Me-Kwa-Mooks Park is a 20.2-acre city park stretching along Beach Drive SW. The park includes a shoreline overlook. The Schmitz estate was demolished in 1967 and converted into the public parkland that neighbors walk today.
The stretch of Beach Drive has carried the weight of tragedy before. In March 2012, 51-year-old Greggette Guy was killed in an unsolved homicide near Beach Drive SW after parking her car across from Me-Kwa-Mooks Park to take a late-night walk along Puget Sound, the outlet reported. That killing prompted joint police-community safety walks along the corridor in the years that followed.
This is not the first time gunfire reports have pulled officers to this exact stretch of shoreline. In November 2016, Seattle Police checked reports of four suspected gunshots near the park off Beach Drive SW after multiple residents called 911, though there had been no reports of a gunshot victim and it was too early to know whether officers would find evidence of gunfire, per the West Seattle Blog archive of that incident.
What the Law Says About Firing Near a Park
Washington's RCW 9.41.230 addresses firearm discharge. Seattle Municipal Code Section 12A.14.071 makes it a gross misdemeanor to willfully fire a weapon anywhere there is a reasonable likelihood that humans, domestic animals, or property will be endangered, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine — a standard that squarely covers a public waterfront park like Me-Kwa-Mooks.
Gunfire Persists Even as Citywide Numbers Fall
The Beach Drive report lands amid a broader pattern of declining gun violence citywide, even as individual neighborhood incidents keep rattling residents. Seattle Police Department data for the first six months of 2026 showed citywide reports of shootings and shots fired dropped nearly 22% compared to the same period in 2025, according to KING 5.
West Seattle's own numbers complicate the picture further. During a Southwest Precinct Advisory Council meeting in May, precinct Commander Captain Krista Bair reported that officers had logged 34 shots-fired incidents across West Seattle year-to-date. The Beach Drive shells add to concerns about late-night shots-fired calls in West Seattle.
Police have not indicated whether the shots were tied to a targeted act, a random discharge, or an escalating dispute. For now, the black sedan seen leaving southbound and two spent shotgun shells are the only physical clues investigators have to work with along one of West Seattle's most watched waterfront stretches.
