Three people were killed and four others – including a toddler – were wounded in a shooting on Sunday evening during the Bite of Seattle food festival at an events complex near the Space Needle, a city fire department spokesperson said.
One suspect was arrested in the aftermath, while a search for a second suspect continued into Monday, according to authorities. Neither suspect was identified, and no description of the one still at large was immediately available.
Victims and suspects
Tyrone Davis, the assistant Seattle police chief, told reporters at a Sunday night news briefing that investigators believed the two suspects were shooting at each other. Although one remained at large, Davis said there was no continuing threat to the public.
Two people died at the scene, and a third died at a hospital. The deceased were two men, ages 19 and 44, and a 56-year-old woman. The four injured – including a two-year-old boy – were hospitalized and all were in stable condition as of Monday, police said.
Witness accounts
The gunfire erupted at about 6pm in the waning hours of the annual summer weekend festival. Officers providing security at the event saw one of the suspects firing, Davis said. One suspect surrendered at the scene, while the other fled. A search of the festival grounds was unsuccessful. Police and emergency crews evacuated the area around the sprawling Seattle Center campus.
Faith Adia Hunter told the Associated Press that she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realized a shooter was near them. “We were right next to him when it started so we took off running … into the building with the crowd,” Hunter said.
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running. “Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.” Many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands.
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and saw a rush of people fleeing. “People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said. “Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter.” After escorting his girlfriend to safety, he returned to see multiple victims on the ground.
Context
The shootout at the Bite of Seattle was among more than 270 mass shootings in the US so far for the year as of Monday morning, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The non-partisan resource defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.
The Bite of Seattle started in 1982 and draws about 350,000 people over three days.
