A gunman opened fire at the Bite of Seattle food festival near the city's iconic Space Needle, killing two people and injuring five others, including a two-year-old boy. Reports of the attack emerged at nearly 3:30 am UK time on Monday.
Casualties and injuries
The BBC reported that two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Among the five injured, a 56-year-old woman is in hospital in a serious condition. Three others were hospitalised in a stable condition: a two-year-old boy, a 39-year-old woman, and a 23-year-old man. A fifth person, a 40-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries but declined transport to hospital, according to fire chiefs.
Arrests and response
Seattle mayor Katie Wilson announced shortly before 5:30 am UK time on Monday that one person had been arrested. In a statement, she said: 'I want to thank the Seattle police officers who responded to the scene and took two suspects into custody.' She added: 'Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire.' The identities of those arrested have not been disclosed.
Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington said on X that she is 'monitoring closely information from the shooting that took place at the Seattle Center this evening.' She confirmed being in touch with Mayor Wilson and Governor Bob Ferguson, coordinating across government levels. 'We ask that the public please stay away from the Seattle Center as there is still an active investigation happening at this time,' she wrote.
