SEATTLE — One of the suspects involved in the shootout at the Bite of Seattle event that killed three people and injured several bystanders had previously been arrested in connection to a shooting in Seattle, court records show.
Junior Niko-Semo, 19, was killed in Sunday’s shooting, but police quickly said they believe he was also one of the shooters involved in the incident.
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Juvenile court records show Niko-Semo was arrested in 2024 after a Seattle police officer heard gunshots in Rainier Beach and quickly located him with a Glock 19 handgun nearby.
Niko-Semo was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a bump-fire stock.
According to a Seattle police report, the Glock was equipped with an extended-round magazine and an illegal device known as a “Glock switch”, which enables the weapon to fire fully automatic, which is prohibited by federal law.
Police said one of the guns recovered at the Bite of Seattle shooting was also equipped with a Glock switch.
Investigators say another illegal handgun – a Polymer 80 9mm – was found on the 15-year-old boy who was arrested at the scene. The weapon is known as a “ghost gun” because it is assembled from a kit and has no traceable serial number.
“You have at least two individuals who are in unlawful possession of a firearm because under both state and federal law you have to be 21 in order to possess a handgun,” said William Kirk, president of Washington Gun Law. “You have a firearm that is an untraceable firearm, which is prohibited by state law. You have another firearm that has a Glock switch on it, which is prohibited by both state and federal law. There are at least half a dozen crimes violated just leading up to the shots being fired.”
Court records show there were prior juvenile charges other than the 2024 case for Niko-Semo, but the records are sealed.
