Three Killed in Seattle Food Festival Shooting, Suspect Held

SEATTLE-Three people were killed and four others, including a toddler, were wounded in a shooting at Seattle’s annual Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday, police said, adding that one suspect had been taken into custody while officers searched for a second person believed to have been involved.

The shooting occurred at Seattle Center, the venue hosting the popular food festival near the city’s downtown area. Authorities said the investigation remained active but stressed there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Seattle Police Department Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis told a late-night media briefing that investigators believed two individuals had exchanged gunfire during the incident. He said one suspect, described only as a young person, was in custody and being questioned, while officers continued efforts to locate another suspected shooter.

Police declined to identify the suspect in custody or provide a description of the second individual. Davis said detectives from the homicide and gun violence reduction units had joined the investigation and that two firearms had been recovered from the scene.

The death toll rose to three after one of the injured victims later died in hospital. Davis said the remaining four victims, including a toddler, were in stable condition.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson described the shooting as a devastating act of violence, saying the city had experienced several major gun-related incidents in recent days. She said the latest attack underscored broader concerns over gun violence in Seattle and across the United States.

Officials did not disclose a motive for the shooting.

According to police, officers who were already in the area responded immediately after hearing gunfire and confronted one of the suspected shooters. Witnesses told the Seattle Times they heard multiple gunshots at about 6 p.m. local time.

The Bite of Seattle is one of the city’s largest annual public events, attracting about 350,000 visitors over three days for food, drinks and entertainment. Police urged the public to avoid the area while investigators processed the crime scene and continued their search for the second suspect.