Originally published Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Elderly Seattle man's death in fire ruled suicide
An 89-year-old man whose body was found after an apartment building fire fatally shot himself in the head, the King County medical examiner's office said Tuesday.
An 89-year-old man whose body was found after an apartment building fire fatally shot himself in the head, the King County medical examiner's office said Tuesday.
The medical examiner ruled Edward Jackson's death a suicide one day after the blaze engulfed the Capitol Hill apartment building where he was the only tenant remaining. Jackson had defied orders to vacate the building, which is slated to be razed for new condominiums.
Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen said investigators determined that the fire started when an open flame was used to ignite combustible materials. She added the fire started in Jackson's unit.
Jackson had lived in the apartment building for more than 40 years, said Dennis Saxman, a local neighborhood activist who is outspoken against the area's new development.
Saxman said he met Jackson this past year when the elderly man sought help during his legal tangle with the developer that bought the apartment building in 2006.
Calls for comment to Seattle-based Stratford Management Co. were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Saxman said Jackson had found another place to live, but his health was deteriorating, and it was a logistical challenge to move all of the man's belongings.
"I think it's very tragic, you have a situation here, whereby the emphasis is on the development," Saxman said. "There's all the emphasis on the physical nature, financial nature (of development), but there's little consideration of its human impact."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
New laws help tenants evicted due to foreclosure
Researchers stunned by inmates' success raising endangered frogs
Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
Federal Way group on trail of missing pets
UPDATE - 08:06 AM
Interstate 90 commute 'typical' so far

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new truck? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Shooting unveils very different sides of McNair
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Confessions of an Idol Addict | "American Idols" on tour: Live coverage from opening date
- Quincy Jones remembers "the biggest entertainer on the planet": Michael Jackson
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
247 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
180 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
137 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
128 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
113 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
107 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
102 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
69 - Mariners did their part, now they need help
46 - Megachurch pastor Rick Warren addresses US Muslims
36
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen
- Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
- Toyota's Toyoda scolds execs for emulating U.S. car companies' mistakes
- Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Outdoor-theater season kicks off at Volunteer Park





