Fort Lewis soldier killed in Afghanistan

The U.S. Department of Defense yesterday identified a slain Fort Lewis soldier and Special Forces member as Sgt. Jeremy R. Wright, 31.

He was killed in Afghanistan Monday.

The Indiana native was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) based at Fort Lewis.

Wright, who was deployed to Afghanistan in November, died instantly when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle during an operation in the country's Konar province, according to a news release.

U.S. asked to probe handling of shooting

The attorney representing the family of an African-American man killed by an off-duty King County sheriff's deputy wrote to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday, asking him to investigate the handling of the case by federal prosecutors in Seattle.

Last month, U.S. District Attorney John McKay said his office would not seek criminal civil-rights charges against Deputy Melvin Miller, who shot Robert Thomas Sr. on April 7, 2002, as Thomas, his son and his son's girlfriend were parked on the side of a road in Miller's Renton neighborhood. McKay said there wasn't enough evidence to prove Miller, who is white, willfully violated Thomas' civil rights.

At a news conference yesterday, attorney Bradley Marshall accused the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle of conducting a biased investigation; he also accused federal attorneys of misrepresenting witness testimony and physical evidence and of "coaching" Miller's attorneys.

Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for McKay's office, denied Marshall's claims. "It was a very thorough, complete investigation," she said.

Alaskan Way seawall gets added protection

Rocks weighing up to 2,000 pounds are being placed at the base of the Alaskan Way seawall near the Seattle Aquarium to protect the wall, damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

Rocks at the base of the wall settled one to two feet after the earthquake, so the extra rocks were needed to protect the wall.

The $500,000 repair, paid for by the city and the Federal Highway Administration, is expected to be completed in about a month. But city officials say the seawall must be replaced as part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct project.

Wallingford home fire leaves woman dead

An elderly woman died yesterday in a fire at her Wallingford home.

Fire crews arriving at the home in the 3900 block of Ashworth Avenue North about 11 a.m. found heavy smoke coming from the house. Inside, they found the woman unconscious on the floor near the front door, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said. Medics attempted to revive her, but she died at the scene.

Another woman who lived there was not home at the time, Fitzpatrick said.

The home's basement, kitchen and bathroom were burned, and the home has extensive smoke damage, Fitzpatrick said. Investigators were not sure what caused the fire.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office had not identified the woman who died.

Idaho police officer in serious condition

A Coeur d'Alene police officer wounded in a Dec. 28 shootout is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, spokeswoman Pamela Steele said yesterday.

Officer Michael Kralicek, 33, remains at the hospital after he was shot in the face at the Hayden, Idaho, home of Michael Anthony Madonna. Sheriff's deputies shot and killed Madonna.

The family had requested that no information be released about Kralicek's condition, but his wife, Carrie, said in a statement that her husband "is a fighter but has a serious injury."

She said more information would be released if his condition improves.

Times staff and news services