Ashley Hiruko
Investigative Reporter
About
Ashley Hiruko reports on topics involving policing and the behind-the-scenes conduct of city leaders. Her investigations have examined police killings, allegations of abuse and sex trafficking, and labor issues.
She lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and Maltese.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Past President, Western Washington Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
Stories
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KUOW Newsroom
A new crisis line for Native people in Washington state
A statewide crisis line that debuted earlier this month is the first in the country to be specifically geared toward serving Native American and Alaska Native people, a resource that advocates say is much-needed.
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KUOW Blog
Mayor Harrell appoints panel to address sexual assault, police reform
Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the names Thursday of six people who will form a new advisory panel to provide recommendations on how Seattle police handle sexual assault investigations.
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The untold story of Herbert Hightower, and Seattle Police’s history of killing people with knives
Castill Hightower woke to red and blue lights ricocheting off her bedroom walls. It was the middle of the night in north Seattle, and Hightower, then 17, saw police officers and flashing emergency vehicles outside her window.
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KUOW Newsroom
Judge: Suit can go forward against SPD, others in sex trafficking case involving Raz Simone
The Seattle Police Department’s handling of a sex trafficking investigation into a local hip-hop artist may have further emboldened the man to harm more people, a judge ruled Tuesday, allowing a lawsuit against the musician, the police department, and the city to move forward.
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Judge to decide if Seattle Police can be held liable in sex trafficking case
A King County Superior Court judge will decide whether the city and the Seattle Police Department can be put on trial for allegedly mishandling a sex crimes investigation.
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Soundside
Investigation: 6 women accused a Seattle hip-hop artist of sex trafficking, allege police ‘did virtually nothing’
Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
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6 women accused a Seattle hip-hop artist of sex trafficking, allege police ‘did virtually nothing’
The tape recorder clicked on. It was a cold night in early December 2020 when William Guyer, a veteran Seattle Police detective, asked a young woman to recount months of alleged abuse and sexual assault.
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KUOW Blog
Man sentenced to 140 months for trafficking minors on Aurora Avenue, across state lines
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KUOW Newsroom
Seattle mayor orders plan for stalled sexual assault investigations as advocates demand deadline
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Family of 16-year-old killed in CHOP zone alleges Seattle’s failings enabled a 'state-created danger'
The family of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed amid Seattle's racial justice protests in 2020, filed a tort claim on Monday alleging that city leadership should have recognized its failures to provide legally obligated medical, police, and emergency services to protestors demonstrating in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone.