(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)
Thomas J. Garrett, known to those who loved him as “Tommy Joe,” was the 81-year-old man killed by a hit-run driver this past Monday night at 15th/Roxbury. Family members gathered there for a vigil this afternoon.
His daughter told us Mr. Garrett lived on Capitol Hill much of his life and went to Garfield High School with Jimi Hendrix. He himself was a musician and his career included many achievements including work as a TV-news photographer. His nephew talked more about Mr. Garrett’s life as traffic roared by on Roxbury:
His family says they don’t know why Mr. Garrett was in this area Monday night. They do know King County Sheriff’s Office deputies have yet to find his killer and are still seeking information on this vehicle (as reported Thursday):
Call 800-222-TIPS if you have any information. Meantime, they are planning a memorial for him at a Buddhist temple in the Central District. And they want to ensure no one forgets him, or what happened here.
ADDED: Sili Savusa and Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association were there and promised to work to make the area safer:
15th/Roxbury has of course had other trouble over the years – including last October’s shooting death of 21-year-old Marcell Wagner aboard a Metro bus just south of the intersection.