Three killed in Seattle food festival shooting

Three people were killed and four others, including a 2-year-old boy, were wounded Sunday evening when gunfire broke out during the Bite of Seattle food festival near the Space Needle, authorities said.

Seattle police said they believe the violence was a shootout involving two suspects at Seattle Center, a sprawling events campus that was crowded with festivalgoers, vendors and performers. One suspect surrendered at the scene, while the other fled and remained at large into Monday, authorities said. Police did not immediately identify either suspect or provide a description of the person still being sought.

Assistant Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis told reporters Sunday night that officers working security at the festival saw one of the suspects firing. Investigators believe the two suspects were shooting at each other, he said.

“We’re still trying to figure this out,” Davis said. He added that, despite the search for the second suspect, police did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.

The shooting was reported at about 6 p.m. local time in the final hours of the annual summer festival, which features hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. The event is held beneath the city’s famous Space Needle and draws about 350,000 people over three days.

Two people died at the scene, and a third died at a hospital. Police identified the dead as two men, ages 19 and 44, and a 56-year-old woman. Four injured people, including the toddler, were hospitalized and were in stable condition Monday, police said.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting “an unbelievable tragedy and a horrific act of violence” during the Sunday night news conference.

“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,” Wilson said.

After the shooting, police and emergency crews evacuated the area around Seattle Center. A search of the festival grounds for the second suspect was unsuccessful.

Witnesses described a sudden burst of panic as gunfire erupted. Faith Adia Hunter told The Associated Press that she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when they realized a shooter was nearby. They ran with others into the Seattle Children’s Museum for shelter.

“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running … into the building with the crowd,” Hunter said.

Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the festival, said he first heard what sounded like firecrackers. Then people began shouting “shooter” and running.

“Suddenly everything was empty,” Ramirez said. “People were freaked out.”

Many vendors abandoned their food stands as they fled toward the exits. Hours later, some waited outside police tape, unsure when they could return for tents, food and cooking equipment. Ramirez said some new guests continued arriving after the initial panic, unaware of what had happened, and were told by police to leave.

Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and saw people rushing away.

“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said. “Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter.”

Al Jazeera reported that one vendor was livestreaming a promotional video when the shooting began, accidentally recording people running as gunshots rang out.

The shooting was among more than 270 mass shootings in the United States so far this year as of Monday morning, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are wounded or killed.