Seattle police find ghost gun after festival shooting

Seattle police recovered a loaded, untraceable “ghost gun” and a Glock pistol modified to fire as a fully automatic weapon after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival killed three people and injured others, officials said Tuesday, as investigators searched for at least one more suspect.

The shooting broke out shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday at Seattle Center, near the Space Needle, during the popular three-day food festival. Police said two bystanders, Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, were killed. A third person who died, 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, was described by police as a suspect and an “associate” of a 15-year-old who was taken into custody at the scene.

Police Chief Shon Barnes said the confrontation appeared to involve at least three people, including the detained teenager and Semo. At least one suspect remains at large, and Barnes said there may be more than one person still being sought.

The 15-year-old remains in juvenile detention, police said. Investigators recovered a 9 mm ghost gun from him, Barnes said at a Tuesday news conference. Ghost guns can be assembled from parts and often lack serial numbers, making them difficult to trace.

Barnes said the ghost gun, identified as a Polymer80-style firearm, had an extended magazine with a 33-round capacity. Nineteen rounds remained when investigators recovered it.

Police also found a Glock Model 45 9 mm pistol equipped with a fully automatic switch, also known as an auto sear. The Glock had an extended magazine with a 40-round capacity, and 21 rounds remained, Barnes said. A third firearm, described by NBC News as a second gun with seven rounds in a standard magazine and by The Guardian as a.45-caliber pistol, was recovered but was not believed to have been used in the shooting.

Investigators found 14 shell casings from two weapons at the scene. Police said the recovered guns had not been reported stolen, though authorities were still working to trace the serialized firearms.

Washington state generally bars firearms from carrying more than 10 rounds, The Guardian reported. The outlet also reported that the ghost gun came from a parts kit made by the now-defunct company Polymer80 and that illegal switches can convert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic weapons.

Police said four people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The Guardian reported that at least five people were wounded, including a 2-year-old boy, and that others were trampled as the crowd rushed to safety. Barnes also said police are trying to identify a possible additional survivor who went to a local hospital with a gunshot wound and left after being treated.

Because of “legal barriers,” Barnes said, police do not know that person’s identity. “If you are that person, please reach out to us,” he said. “We would like to make sure, No. 1, that you’re OK, and No. 2, if you would like to speak to an investigator, please reach out to us so we can determine if you may have seen what happened.”

Barnes said police have received more than 80 calls to a tip line since Sunday night and are reviewing physical evidence, digital recordings and camera footage from the scene.

“We have dozens of pieces of digital evidence to review and are continuing to review that information as well as searching the area for more,” Barnes said.

Seattle police said the shooting was probably linked to gang violence, The Guardian reported. “We’re working to determine the groups involved and what their relationship may be,” Barnes said.