What We Know About the Seattle Food Festival Shooting

One suspect is in custody and a second remains at large after a shooting at a food festival in Seattle on Sunday evening left three people dead and four others wounded, according to police. 

The shooting took place near Seattle’s Space Needle at Bite of Seattle, an annual food festival that draws more than 350,000 people, according to its website. 

The victims and suspects have not yet been publicly identified. A search continued for the second suspect on Monday. Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said at a press conference following the shooting on Sunday that there is “no outstanding threat to the community.”

“What happened here today at the Seattle Center was an unbelievable tragedy, a horrific act of violence,” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said. “My heart right now is with the victims and their families, and with everyone in our community who is reeling from what happened here today.”

Here’s what we know about the shooting so far. 

What happened? 

Authorities on Sunday began responding to reports of a shooting at the Seattle Center, a public arts and entertainment area north of downtown Seattle, around 6 p.m. local time. 

Two of the people killed in the shooting died at the scene. Four others were injured, including a toddler, and taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for their injuries. One patient who was taken into surgery in critical condition later died as a result of her injuries, police announced late Sunday.

Investigators believe the two suspects in the incident were shooting at each other, Davis said on Sunday. One suspect surrendered to police at the scene, while the other fled.

“Our officers were there within seconds,” Davis said. “They performed emergency aid to the wounded until the Seattle Fire Department was on scene. Simultaneously, officers launched a search for the people responsible for this senseless violence.” 

Police also recovered two firearms at the scene. 

As of Monday morning, police have not publicly discussed a potential motive for the shooting.

Who are the victims?

The names of the victims have not been made public. 

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) described the deceased as a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, and a 56-year-old woman. 

One of the four wounded victims was a 2-year-old boy, according to police. The others were adults.

All four “remained in stable condition at local hospitals” as of Monday morning, the department said in a news release shortly after 1 a.m.

Who are the suspects?

Little information has so far been released about the one person in custody, or the suspect still at large. Davis described the detained individual as a “young person” on Sunday night. 

Davis said “there may be more” suspects, stating that “we’re still trying to figure this out.” He encouraged people who were at the scene to come forward and help the department locate other potential suspects.

“There are witnesses. They’re not coming forward,” he said. “We need people to be brave, to reach out to us. You can do so anonymously. We know that we have people who probably have evidence or have information that they can share with us.”

What officials are saying

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, whose district includes Seattle Center and who attended Sunday’s press conference, said that she was “absolutely horrified” by the shooting. She added that Seattle was “coordinating across all levels of government,” when asked about the federal government’s knowledge of the shooting.

“My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and our whole Seattle community,” Jayapal said on X. 

Wilson commented on the high incidence of gun violence in the U.S. after the shooting. 

“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 said. 

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said at the news conference that “our hearts go out to everybody who’s impacted by this.” 

“I can’t imagine being the parent of a two-year-old toddler, for example, who’s injured in a shooting like this,” he said.

The state’s Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray also expressed their condolences to the victims and gratitude to authorities.