Police confiscated slain UW student's rifle 2 years ago

The rifle a University of Washington student was holding when he was shot by Seattle Police Thursday is the same weapon taken from him for his own safety by police in late 2006, according to Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.

The circumstances surrounding the confiscation of the rifle then were not made available by police.

However, Kerlikowske said at a news conference this afternoon that the WWII Kar 98 German infantry rifle was returned less than three months later to the student's father after his repeated requests for its return.

Kerlikowske said he stands firmly behind his officers's actions.

Michael Murphy, the father of the slain student, Miles Murphy, 22, said this afternoon that he gave the rifle back to his son for military "re-enactments" because it was his son's property and his son was an adult.

Michael Murphy also said the confiscation and return of the rifle "doesn't change what happened yesterday. It is senseless and tragic and we're dealing with what happened here."

Miles Murphy was dressed in a World War II-era German uniform and brandishing a long rifle with a bayonet when he was shot by police in the University District.

His parents were very emotional when they spoke to a reporter early this afternoon and declined to talk in detail about questions they have about the shooting.

The mother, Dianne Murphy, said they have spoken with an eyewitness to the incident and based on that discussion, as well as a conversation they had with detectives, they want to know why officers shot their son.

Police say Murphy refused to put down the rifle despite warnings to do so. Two officers subsequently shot him.

Miles Murphy, one of the couple's two college-age children, was well-known on campus as a smart, eccentric history buff who loved to participate in WWII re-enactments and would even show up to class, at times, dressed in a historic uniform.

Friends said Murphy would entertain at parties by playing everything from old German folk songs to Britney Spears tunes on his accordion.

He was killed about 2 a.m., when police responded to neighbors' complaints that several men were shooting vintage, military-style rifles and shotguns into a dark alley at the 5200 block of 17th Avenue Northeast, police spokesman Jeff Kappel said.

When police were called, Kappel said, neighbors pointed out an apartment in a large white house. Police knocked on the door which was answered by a man holding a long rifle with a large bayonet attached.

Uniformed police officers warned Murphy several times to drop his weapon. He didn't, Kappel said, and he pointed it at one of the officers. Two officers shot him several times. He died at a hospital later Thursday morning, Kappel said.

Spencer Bray, a UW senior, was one of about 20 friends who gathered Thursday night to share stories about Murphy. Bray said Murphy — a German cultural-studies major — had amassed a large collection of WWII memorabilia from the Internet, thrift stores and from antique dealers.

"He was one of the most peaceful guys I have met. He was really just a nice guy," Bray said. "I never heard him espousing any Nazi ideology; none of that interested him. He liked the physical stuff from WWII because he was such a history buff."

Bray said Murphy sometimes would wear kilts or uniforms to class — including German and U.S. gear from WWII — but would make sure the outfits didn't have symbolic additions such as swastikas.

"He had this Russian snow coat that he'd been wearing recently," Bray said. "It was military issue from WWII."

He said Murphy spoke good German and Swedish, as well as some Finnish, and wanted to be a professor of German literature.

"He was eccentric, but he was very well-liked," Bray said. "It's a huge shock. I read the news today and it... was really, really hard to hear for all of us."

UW Germanics Professor Eric Ames said that Murphy was strong at speaking and reading German. Ames gave him 4.0 in a course on East German cinema.

"He was so quiet, it always made me want to know more," Ames said. "He always came to class, he participated, he worked hard."

Ames said Murphy dressed like any other student in class, but one day, Ames saw him walking across campus in German military garb and was surprised and concerned.

"There is obviously a negative perception [about the attire]," Ames said.

Ames said that he last saw Murphy at the Germanic Department's annual Christmas party Dec. 12. He said that Murphy played with Ames' 2-year-old son.

"He's just a sweet, kind, thoughtful person. He was not a loner, even though he was quiet," Ames said.

Murphy worked part time at Red Mill Burgers on Phinney Ridge, Bray said, and always would tip well when he ate out as a result of his experience in the hospitality trade.

Michael Shepherd, Red Mill general manager, said that Murphy had worked as a fryer and prep cook for 2-½ years. He described the man as respectful and always punctual. He said that Murphy would sometimes come into work dressed in "goofy stuff" like German military or even U.S. Civil War clothing.

"He was a great kid. He was just a history buff in general," Shepherd said. "He wouldn't hurt a fly."

Shepherd said that Murphy was at work on Tuesday and planned to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends at his home.

"What happened to him was completely tragic," Shepherd said.

On the social-networking site MySpace, Murphy wrote, in a joking fashion, that he lived in a 1920s room and only entered the 21st century when "absolutely necessary." He wrote that he collected vintage clothes and never turned down a well-mixed martini. He listed "Mr. Bayonet" as his lucky charm and said he was "kind of impulsive."

Bray recalled one party when Murphy entertained the crowd on his accordion with everything from old folk songs to "Les Miserables." Murphy also could play piano, violin, banjo and guitar, his friend said.

"He could figure out just about any song on any of the instruments that he played," Bray said. "It was really cool. It was fun to have him play and sing."

The shooting took place in a quiet neighborhood of large homes near the university.

A resident of the apartment next door to the shooting scene, Mark Kedziora, said that before Thursday night he hadn't seen his neighbor wearing a full German military uniform, but said the man wore a black mustache, combed-over hair and military boots.

Kedziora said he saw him and two other men with guns standing in the alley at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. He looked outside when he heard a loud bang, thinking the guns were fake. But when he watched the men reload, he realized the guns were real and said to his friend, "That guy's an idiot."

One of the men was wearing an olive uniform and a military helmet, Kedziora said, and his neighbor was wearing a German military uniform.

Kedziora said he heard confusion outside and could hear police warning the man to drop his weapon. A few minutes later, they watched out the window as the wounded neighbor was taken away and SWAT teams searched the neighborhood.

Police searching the apartment after the incident found the large collection of German military regalia and a lot of alcohol, Kappel said.

At one point, police evacuated the building, waking tenants.

A few scraps of yellow police tape remained in the alley Thursday afternoon.

No one answered the door at the apartment where the shooting occurred, although the lights were on. Cardboard partially covered a pool of blood on the landing outside the door.

The police officers who fired at the man are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com