July 26 - Three people were killed and four others injured, one of them a toddler, after gunfire erupted at the Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center on Sunday evening, Seattle police said. A young person has been taken into custody, and officers said they are looking for a second suspect believed to be involved.
Seattle Police Department Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis told reporters late on Sunday that investigators believe there were two people firing at each other during the incident. "There were two people who we believe were shooting at each other," he said during a joint media briefing with city officials.
Mayor Katie Wilson described the incident as "an unbelievable tragedy, and a horrific act of violence." Speaking alongside law enforcement, she said the city had recently experienced multiple violent incidents in a short span. "We have far too much gun violence in this city and in this country, and we’re coming off of a week in Seattle where we’ve had three major incidents of gun violence in just a few days," she added.
Authorities did not provide a motive for the shooting. Davis said the suspect in custody was a "young person," but declined to offer additional identifying details. He also said investigators did not yet have a description for the second suspect believed to be involved.
Initial local reports had indicated two fatalities and five injuries. Davis later confirmed that one person who had been hospitalized succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to three. He said the four other patients hospitalized were in stable condition.
Police recovered two guns at the scene, Davis said, and emphasized that the investigation was ongoing. When asked whether specialized units had been deployed, he said a range of detectives were on site, including homicide investigators and members of the gun violence reduction unit.
"Right now, we believe that we have no outstanding threat to the community," Davis said, adding that one suspect was being interviewed by investigators.
Witnesses told the Seattle Times they heard multiple shots around 6 p.m. local time (0100 GMT). Police said officers responded to reports of gunfire and "addressed one of the shooters" after the shots were heard in the area.
The shooting took place in a public gathering at the Seattle Center, where the annual Bite of Seattle festival was underway. Officials have not released further details about the victims or their conditions beyond the update that four hospital patients are now stable and one died following hospitalization.
As police continue to investigate, they are pursuing leads related to the second individual believed to have been involved in the shooting. Beyond the immediate investigative steps described by Davis and the mayor, officials have not offered additional information on motive or the identities of those involved.
Context and next steps
Seattle police said their investigation remains active, with detectives working to determine the full circumstances that led to the exchange of gunfire. Officials reiterated that the public is not believed to be at continued risk while the search for the second suspect continues.