Nagle was shut down overnight during the investigation (Image: SPD)
A man was reported shot on the basketball court at Cal Anderson Park and died on the west edge of the park as police rendered emergency aid and Seattle Fire medics arrived at the scene early Saturday morning.
Police reported detaining one person in at least one vehicle stop following the 12:30 AM shooting but were searching for a smaller SUV reported leaving the area where the shooting took place along Nagle on the west side of the park.
Police were sent to the area after 911 callers reported gunfire around 12:30 AM. Arriving officers found a chaotic scene near the basketball court and a man down on the pavement near the popular late night gathering area with gunshot wounds to his leg and chest, according to East Precinct radio updates.
Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 12:34 AM to treat the victim reported as a man in his 30s but could not immediately enter the area until it had been established as secure by Seattle Police seven minutes later. SPD reports the man was declared dead at the scene.
The killing marks the 27th murder in Seattle and fifth homicide under investigation in the East Precinct this year. There were five here in 2021, a dozen recorded in 2020, and also five in 2019.
SPD detectives spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence from the park. Officers reported finding rifle shell casings near the court but it wasn’t known if they were related to the overnight shooting.
If you have information that could help, contact SPD’s violent crime tip line at (206) 233-5000.
UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Mercer Roy, 32, KIRO reports:
Roy was at Cal Anderson Park playing basketball, say friends, like he did nearly every day. Eyewitnesses say there was an argument on the court and someone pulled out a gun. When it was over, the 32-year-old father of a young daughter was dead.
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To kill two birds with one stone, the city should remove the parking along Nagle and make it a pedestrian street connecting pike pine with light rail. The drug dealing gangs fighting over Capitol Hill’s lucrative fentanyl zombie market aren’t going to walk to this location.
I like it.
1. Remove the parking along the entire street, making Nagle a true two-way.
2. Remove the cut-out by the SCC bookstore.
3. Place obstacles in drive way of pumphouse.
Lol cause the parking is what’s causing the crime. SPD is involved that’s why the crime exist in the first place the city is corrupt. If this were true the suburbs would have infinite crime rates. The crime truly at fault of the rich, the desperate in poverty, and corruption in the SPD
lol tell that to the dead kid.
You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
It is about the parking, and the drug dealing and gang beefs of people loitering and parking there.
The person who shot him probably doesn’t even own a car that’s why he was at that park
Midnight? Too bad we can’t lock the entire park down at like 9:00 PM!
Tell the parks department to turn off the lights like they do in other parks and people won’t be attracted to hang out there. We don’t have enough police to babysit the basketball court.
The lights go off on the court at 11:09. I host dodgeball there Fridays and Sundays and I feel safer at Cal Anderson then I do in my suburban neighborhood of West Seattle.
Sorry to hear about your neighborhood in West Seattle. My wife and I occasionally have brunch or meet friends for drinks over there. Seems West Seattle is pretty idyllic to us.
But I’m glad you feel safe while partying on Capitol Hill. Living on Nagle Place 24-7, the north end of the play courts by the Cal Anderson pumphouse is a dangerous spot with gang activity. If you would turn down the music, and put down the beer and/or joint, you just might notice.
SPD turns a blind eye