Second Shooter Remains at Large After Deadly ‘Bite of Seattle’ Gunfire
Seattle police continued searching Monday for a second suspect in a shooting at a crowded food festival near the Space Needle that killed three people and wounded four others, including a 2-year-old boy.
The gunfire broke out around 6 p.m. Sunday as the annual Bite of Seattle festival was entering its final hours. Investigators believe two people were firing at each other during a confrontation at the Seattle Center campus, where hundreds of food vendors, retailers and performers had gathered for the three-day event.
One suspect surrendered at the scene, while the other escaped, Seattle Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said at a news conference Sunday night.
Davis described the person taken into custody as young and said investigators were questioning them. Officers did not fire their weapons during the confrontation, and investigators recovered two guns from the scene.
Despite the continuing search, Davis said authorities did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.
Dozens of officers were already working security at the festival when the shooting began, and some officers witnessed one of the suspects firing. A large police and emergency response followed, with authorities evacuating visitors from the sprawling Seattle Center grounds.
Special agents from the Seattle office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to assist local police with the investigation. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said officials would work to secure any necessary federal resources.
Two victims died at the festival, while a third person later died at a hospital. Authorities identified those killed only by their ages and genders: two men, ages 19 and 44, and a 56-year-old woman.
Four other people were hospitalized after the shooting. The 2-year-old boy, who was listed in satisfactory condition Monday, was the only injured victim who remained in the hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson. Two men, ages 23 and 27, and a 39-year-old woman had been discharged.
The victims were initially taken to Harborview Medical Center, the region’s highest-level trauma center, with injuries that included gunshot wounds to the arm, leg, abdomen and lower leg, hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said. Another wounded person later arrived at the University of Washington Medical Center.
Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Grace Nuñez said a 40-year-old woman who sustained minor injuries declined transportation to a hospital.
Davis said investigators had not yet determined whether any of those killed or wounded had participated in the confrontation between the suspected shooters.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting “an unbelievable tragedy, a horrific act of violence.”
“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.”
In a separate statement, Wilson thanked police officers, firefighters, festival employees, hospital workers and bystanders who helped people escape the area or receive medical treatment.
Faith Adia Hunter told The Associated Press that she and her friends had just purchased food from a crepe vendor when people around them began running.
“We were about to start eating, then heard someone yell something, then we saw people start to run. So we took off running, too. We were right next to him when it started, so we took off running.”
Hunter said she and others fled into the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum while trying to find somewhere safe to shelter.
Other festivalgoers said the first sounds were difficult to identify amid the noise of the crowded event. Roberto Ramirez, who was working as a vendor, said he initially thought he was hearing firecrackers. Moments later, people began shouting “shooter” and rushing away from the area.
“Suddenly everything was empty,” Ramirez said. “People were freaked out.”
After the first wave of panic, Ramirez said, people who had not heard about the shooting continued arriving at the festival. Police stopped them and directed them to leave.
Estan Wakonabo told The Associated Press that he and his girlfriend were standing in line for a photo booth when someone shoved him from behind. When he turned around, he saw a crowd of people surging away from the area.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling. Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter.”
“It was a stampede,” Wakonabo later told Seattle television station KING.
Wakonabo said he first escorted his girlfriend to safety and then returned to the scene to take photographs. When he went back, he saw multiple victims lying on the ground.
“There’s bodies everywhere,” he said, referring to people who appeared to have been injured. “I mean, I counted eight.”
Paul Skinner, who was helping operate a booth for the Crave food truck, also said the shots initially sounded like firecrackers.
“We just heard what at first sounded like firecrackers, but it’s just a little too crowded for that kind of thing,” Skinner told KING. “So then, when the crowd started moving quickly in herds, you knew it was something was happening.”
“We all got down and took cover,” he added.
Festival attendee Isaiah Flores Sanches said the celebration transformed almost instantly after the shooting began.
“It went from something being so playful and so joyful to being something so horrific, and I see people on the floor trying to take cover.”
The shooting also forced vendors to abandon their booths as people rushed toward exits. Hours afterward, some vendors remained gathered outside the police perimeter, waiting to learn when they could retrieve their tents, food supplies and cooking equipment.
The Bite of Seattle began in 1982 and is one of the city’s major annual food events. The festival typically attracts about 350,000 attendees, according to its website, along with hundreds of food and retail vendors and live performers. Admission to the three-day festival is free.
“The Bite of Seattle is a very positive event,” Davis said. “We haven’t had any issues in recent years.”
The Seattle Center complex was developed around structures constructed for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, including the Space Needle, the Seattle Center Monorail and the building originally known as the Coliseum.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
