Seattle Animal Shelter looking for man who killed goose at South Lake Union
Aug 27, 2026, 5:54 PM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
The Seattle Animal Shelter is investigating an animal cruelty case after a man killed a goose on South Lake Union.
A witness told KIRO 7 that a man grabbed a goose by its neck and swung it against the concrete multiple times. It happened around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
KIRO 7 spoke to visitors to the lake, who expressed shock and confusion at the bizarre act of violence.
“It doesn’t seem like a normal, stable thing to do,” Josephine Saltmarsh, who visits the lake every day on her lunch break, said. “Geese can be annoying. I will give them that. But I would never want to harm another animal. It feels very off to me.”
The witness, who did not want to do an on-camera interview, shared images of the suspect as he left following the attack. He wore a red T-shirt with the phrase “no nerds, no birds” printed on it.
“Maybe he’s got an issue with birds?” Jim Hull, who was visiting the lake with his nephew, said.
“No nerds, no birds” is a slogan for SPEEA, a union representing more than 20,000 aerospace employees, many of them at Boeing.
It is not clear if the suspect is a member.
A SPEEA spokesperson told KIRO 7 the union had no comment on the situation.
“Animal activists, I would assume, would love to spend time with him,” Hull said.
The Seattle Animal Shelter said it is working with the nearby Museum of History and Industry to get ahold of surveillance footage of the attack.
“It’s really violent and kind of scary,” Saltmarsh said.
Seattle Animal Shelter is asking anyone with information on the incident to call (206)386-7387 and reference case C0009675633.
