SEATTLE (KOMO) — A mass shooting during the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center on Sunday evening left three people dead and at least four others injured, including a 2-year-old boy, according to the Seattle police and fire departments.
In a Monday morning update, police said a 15-year-old suspect was detained and booked for first-degree assault and firearms violations. The mayor said no one has formally been arrested for investigation of homicide.
Court documents released Monday afternoon show there were allegedly three people involved in a “gunfight” that erupted in the middle of the food festival, and one of them died at the scene.
“Based on the evidence at the scene, investigators believe [the 15-year-old suspect] and one of the deceased engaged in a gunfight with at least one other unknown suspect.”
The three victims who died in the shooting were identified as a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, and a 56-year-old woman. It’s currently unknown which of those three individuals was one of the alleged shooters.
And the third “unknown suspect” has yet to be identified.
In an 11 a.m. press conference Monday, city officials said that a 15-year-old suspect had been taken into custody for investigation of first-degree assault and firearms violations in connection with the shooting. Police had said they were working to identify a second suspect.
Investigators said early reports indicate that two suspects exchanged gunfire outside the Seattle Center Armory and bystanders were caught in the crossfire.
PHOTOS | Scene of mass shooting at Bite of Seattle
Police said they don’t believe the public is in danger, and investigators are working to identify the other person involved in the shooting.
Mayor Katie Wilson confirmed that there are CCTV cameras at Seattle Center, and that law enforcement are currently pulling and reviewing the footage.
The three people who died were a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, and a 56-year-old woman. Two of those victims died at the scene.
Four people, including the 2-year-old boy, were taken to Harborview Medical Center. One of those victims died at the hospital.
As of Sunday night, Harborview officials said three victims were in satisfactory condition: a 39-year-old woman, a 23-year-old man and the 2-year-old. Hospital officials said their injuries involved gunshot wounds to the leg, abdomen and arm.
On Monday morning, the man and the woman had been discharged from the hospital, and the toddler remained at Harborview, according to UW Medicine spokesperson Susan Gregg.
In addition, a 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound arrived at UW Medical Center – Montlake in satisfactory condition on Sunday. He has since been discharged.
Gregg said the hospital regularly prepares for incidents like this.
“It’s a busy time for Harborview, it’s the trauma center, it’s the summer. It’s very busy; this is what we’re meant to do. We’re always ready because we’re a level one trauma center, so if something like this happens, an unfortunate shooting, then we deliver and that’s what we did this evening,” Gregg said.
On Monday morning, a security guard at Seattle Center said the areas where the vendors were located were closed to the public while they packed up their stands. Some food vendors still had items on the grill after they were forced to flee amid the chaos.
A large police presence remained at the scene.
One of the questions being asked after Sunday’s shooting is why it took police so long to hold a news conference.
The news conference with police, the mayor and several political leaders did not begin until just before 11 p.m., nearly five hours after the shots were fired.
RELATED | 3 killed, multiple injured, including toddler, in mass shooting at Bite of Seattle
A Seattle Police Department spokesperson said some dignitaries wanted to attend the news conference, but did not specify who they were.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s Office released a statement regarding the delay.
“Congresswoman Jayapal learned about the incident shortly after it occurred and was on Zoom briefings from her home at 8 and 9 p.m. She was notified of the press conference at 10:10 p.m. and immediately proceeded to the site from her home in Seattle.”
Police said gunfire erupted just after 6 p.m. during the popular event. Video from a vendor captured frantic bystanders running away from the area just north of the Seattle Center Armory as officers ran toward the shots. Witnesses could be heard yelling and screaming as people fled, including some carrying children.
Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting “an unbelievable tragedy.”
“I’m sorry that we’re having to gather here tonight under these tragic circumstances,” Wilson said.
Acting Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis said officers were already at the event and moved toward the gunfire.
“This is a tragedy. I’m really sorry that this happened. The Bite of Seattle is a very positive event. We haven’t had any issues in recent years. Thankfully, we had officers on scene who were brave, went toward those shots, and prevented more victims from being injured,” Davis said.
Seattle police confirmed one suspected shooter remained at large, while another suspect — described by police as a “young person” — was arrested. Officers took one person into custody and brought him to police headquarters to be interviewed.
According to Mayor Katie Wilson, the detained suspect is a 15-year-old boy.
The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of any outstanding suspect(s) in the shooting.
A witness identified only as Andrew described hearing gunfire and then seeing people rush to escape.
“I heard a couple pops, but I didn’t think it was anything big until I saw people running. I saw families, kids, just everybody running out of the fair,” he said.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the suspect who was arrested would likely appear in court Monday morning, and more information would be available after that court appearance.
The event drew more than 300,000 people.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Seattle Police Department Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
Pacific Science Center is closed Monday, with all shows and general admission canceled. The Seattle Center Armory is also closed.
It has been more than a decade since there was a shooting at Seattle Center.
In May 2012, a man was injured after being shot in the leg at the Folklife Festival.
Court documents at the time said the shooter and another person were fighting when the shooter pulled out a revolver and fired four shots.
One of those shots hit a man who was walking nearby. He recovered in the hospital.
According to Seattle’s crime dashboard, Sunday’s three deaths were the second, third, and fourth homicides in the city this month.
Last month, the city celebrated its first homicide-free June in more than 50 years.
However, there have been 15 homicides in Seattle this year. The number is on pace for the fewest since 2020.
Last year set the decade’s record low at 32.
