Seattle festival shooting: Police say at least three suspects were involved

Police say at least three suspects were involved in the shootout at Seattle's Bite of Seattle festival. The suspected gang-linked violence left three people dead, injured a toddler and raised questions over official messaging.

In Short

• Investigators suspect rival groups exchanged gunfire during the crowded evening event
• A 15-year-old was detained, while another suspected gunman remains unidentified
• Three victims included two festivalgoers and a 19-year-old alleged shooter

Police in Seattle said on Monday that at least three suspects were involved in a shootout at a crowded food festival near the Space Needle over the weekend, with one of the suspected shooters among the dead. The gunfire left three people dead and at least four others injured, including a two-year-old boy.

Investigators said they believe the shooting may have been gang-related, with two groups firing at each other. A 15-year-old arrested in the case was ordered to be held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault, while police said at least one other suspect remains unidentified.

In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, police said they believe there were at least three shooters rather than two: the 15-year-old, an acquaintance who died at the scene, and "at least one other unknown suspect". Seattle Police Department Assistant Chief of Investigations Nicole Powell said at a press conference that the deceased suspected shooter was 19.

The shooting broke out at about 6 pm on Sunday during the final hours of the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Centre. The annual three-day event draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers, and many people ran from the park or took shelter in nearby buildings when the shots were fired.

Officials also faced questions over changing public statements about the case. On Sunday, the police department took five hours to tell the public that one suspect had been arrested and that they believed another was still at large. Earlier, Mayor Katie Wilson had said two people were in custody, but later withdrew that statement. Before the court hearing on Monday, Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators were not sure whether the second shooter was among the dead. He and the mayor did not refer to any additional shooters at that time. Officials said they were trying to make sure the information released during a chaotic situation was accurate.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the dead as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; Ashley Whitehead, 56; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19. According to a GoFundMe campaign launched on Monday, Villalba was a husband and father of three and was known for his kindness and willingness to help others. The medical examiner's office said he died from a gunshot wound to the torso.

The injured included a two-year-old boy, who was in satisfactory condition on Monday. A hospital spokesperson said the others, two men aged 23 and 27 and a 39-year-old woman, had been discharged. Court documents said one of the victims was walking a bicycle when struck, while the toddler was with his mother.

Vendors were allowed to return to the site on Monday morning to collect their equipment. Food left behind included skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates of food abandoned as people fled. Near the scene, what appeared to be a bloodstain remained visible, and a candlelight vigil was planned for Monday night at the centre's International Fountain.

Authorities said dozens of officers were already providing security at the festival and responded within seconds, with at least one officer seeing a suspect firing. Police also searched an IMAX theatre on the grounds after initially believing a second shooter had fled there.

Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stall at the festival, described the panic as a "stampede". He said police escorted vendors back to the area on Monday so they could turn off ovens and stoves. "It's really sad because you think that three innocent people aren't getting up with their families," he said. "They just came to enjoy a food festival with people, with friends, with new friends, and they lost their lives in just what sounds like meaningless bloodshed."

Festival attendee Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just bought food from a crepe vendor when the shooting began, and they took shelter in the nearby Seattle Children's Museum. "We were about to start eating, then heard someone yell something, then we saw people start to run," Hunter said. "So we took off running, too."

Moises Perez, 30, said he was cooking in his apartment near Seattle Centre when he saw people running and shouting outside. When he opened his door, about 20 people, mostly women and children, rushed in. "I was like, OK, we need to help these people," said Perez, a construction worker who had been at the festival earlier in the day. "They were just in panic," he added. "And the kids, too, they were crying." About 30 minutes later, he said, he went outside and saw a woman with a gunshot wound to the leg being helped by emergency workers.

The festival began in 1982 and, according to its website, draws about 350,000 attendees. Police said the investigation into the shooting is continuing, with one teenage suspect in custody, one suspected shooter dead and at least one more person still being sought.

With PTI Inputs

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