Recently uncovered Pioneer Square building is site where disgraced ex police chief ambushed rival but ended up beaten to death with his own gun
The scaffolding around Pioneer Square's Metropole Building (423 2nd Ave S) has just been removed. This building has been boarded up for over 15 years, and is the site of one of the craziest stories in Seattle history. 120 years ago a disgraced ex-police chief ambushed a casino owner in front of this building, firing two point-blank shotgun blasts which both missed. The casino owner and his brother then turned around and practicely beat the ex police chief to death with his own gun before shooting him with a different gun.
For those more interested in the present, here are more details about the upcoming redevelopment plans for this site.
William Meredith met his future nemesis John Considine 12 years earlier. Considine was the owner of several "box houses" (a combination casino/ saloon/ theater/ bordello with booths where the waitress performed "personal services" for the customers) in Spokane and Seattle. Meredith worked in one of these establishments and was originally good friends with his employer Considine.
Years later, Meredith was appointed Seattle police chief and began ordering raids on Considine's casinos and demanding a $500 bribe for protection. He took the bribe but then continued the raids anyway, so Considine reported his corruption to City Hall leading Meredith to resign in disgrace.
The day after losing his job, the ex police chief hunted down the casino owner to get revenge. He found him on the corner of Yesler & 2nd Ave joking about the scandal with his brother and another cop who also has a grudge with the ex chief.
Ex Police Chief Meredith snuck up on them and fired a shot gun at the back of Considine's head from 2 feet away but somehow missed the casino owner who ran into a drug store (now the Metropole Building).
Meredith chased him inside and fired a 2nd shotgun blast. But someone knocked his arm as he pulled the trigger so he missed again, grazing Considine and hitting a random bystander drinking sarsaparilla.
He then cornered the casino owner in the back of the store, but Comsidine turned around and tackled him. Considine's brother Tom grabbed the ex police chief's pistol (he had multiple guns) and repeatedly smashed it into Meredith's skull fracturing it in two places.
Actual police officers rushed in and broke up the fight, but Tom Considine grabbed one of the cop's guns and pointed it at the officers yelling "Stand back, you son's of bitches!"
John Considine pushed aside the officers holding him and took out his own pistol shooting the ex police chief twice and puncturing his heart, liver, and lung. Meredith's clothes also caught fire from the heat of the gun shots.
The blazing and bleeding ex police chief lunged at (or perhaps just fell towards) the casino owner who shot him a 3rd time in the neck, finally killing him.
The Considine brothers were tried for murder and acquitted. John Considine later went straight and had a very successful career in vaudeville.
*Update - Edited to clarify some inaccuracies. Thanks u/SirRatcha for the clarification!