RIP Shawn Yim

I spent my morning documenting the procession of over 100 buses honoring the memory of murdered King County Metro driver Shawn Yim, who was stabbed to death in December 2024 while on the job. It was the first time in 26 years this has happened in Seattle.

There were a lot of media folks on the bridge over 4th ave on Yesler this morning but I was the only one with a sketchbook. A little after 10am police blocked off the street and the buses started rolling through below us. The first one displayed "Shawn Yim / 21882" on its sign. (21882 is his King County Metro employee number.)

There were a few vintage buses in the procession along with tons of Sound Transit and King County vehicles, including maintenance vans and tow trucks. I saw drivers representing agencies from as far away as Grays Harbor & Skagit counties.

Using watersoluble pencils, I quickly drew some of the buses as they drove down 4th Ave, and added colors after the procession. 

 

Around 11, I finished up my drawings and headed to WAMU theater by Lumen Field, where the memorial service was being held. The cavernous space was pretty much full of people, mostly of safety vest wearing folks from transit agencies. A huge turnout.

I definitely teared up while taking notes from the speeches. It was good to get to know some more about Shawn Yim as a person. He seemed like a really kind guy and it's such a tragedy to lose someone like that involved in public service. The few speeches I was able to stay for had notes of humor, sadness, and anger.

I don't have any personal connection to Shawn Yim besides that I used to ride the #70 route a lot (the one Shawn was driving when he was killed), but I am a transit user. I want to show my solidarity with the workers who move our city and are put in danger far more than they should be.