A homeless man died in Ballard on March 5th near the Ballard Locks. Our news partner, The Seattle Times, is reporting that 49-year-old Charles N. Tompkins died from hypothermia. Tompkins was reportedly a transient in the Ballard area and his friend called police after finding him at the west end of the Locks just after 9 a.m., the Times is reporting. According to the police report which the Times cites, Tompkins “was bundled up, his entire head and face covered with a wool-type hat as though he was keeping warm.” The Crestline Courier-News in Southern California reports, according to the Times, that Tompkins was a 1979 high school National Merit Scholar and a graduate of the University of California.
Women in Black, a group who holds vigils when homeless people die, will hold vigil next Wednesday for Tompkins and two other recent homeless people who died. You can read more here in the Seattle Times article.