Seattle Center mass shooting: What we know

Three people were killed and five were injured after a mass shooting at a food festival near the Space Needle on Sunday evening, according to Seattle police.

A chaotic scene erupted around 6 p.m. at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was hosting thousands of people for the Bite of Seattle food festival.

One person was taken into custody and another suspected shooter remained at large, Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said during a news conference late Sunday.

“There may be more (shooters),” Davis said. “We’re still trying to figure this out.”

Police said the people appeared to be shooting at each other. Two guns were recovered from the scene. No apparent motive was disclosed Sunday.

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

Gunshots erupted at Seattle Center around 6 p.m., sending crowds of people running and seeking shelter.

According to police, the shooting occurred outside the Seattle Center Armory, near the building’s northwest corner. Police said there were no cameras that captured the shooting, and investigators are working to locate and speak with witnesses.

Michael Girardi, who was near the music stage by Fisher Pavilion, said he heard two rounds of popping sounds. He and others took cover behind the stage before seeing police and paramedics treat injured people.

Girardi said he saw officers converge near a birria vendor where he believed one victim was located. On the other side of the lawn, near apparel vendors, he saw first responders performing CPR on a man on the ground.

He also saw paramedics treating a wounded toddler. Girardi said the child appeared conscious and was not crying, while the child’s mother was “in anguish.”

A witness who was attending the Bite of Seattle, 25-year-old Estan Wakonabo, said he saw people trampling each other as they tried to flee. He later saw multiple shooting victims on the ground, including a body covered with a yellow sheet.

What are the victims’ conditions?

The Seattle Fire Department confirmed two deaths at around 7:45 p.m. and said crews had treated five other people: a 2-year-old boy; a 23-year-old man; a 39-year-old woman; a 40-year-old woman with minor injuries; and a 56-year-old woman with critical injuries.

At a police news conference around 11 p.m., Davis said one of the wounded people had died at Harborview Medical Center, bringing the death toll to three.

A 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and the 56-year-old woman died, Seattle police said in a blotter post.

Harborview Medical Center spokesperson Susan Gregg said Monday morning that the 23-year-old man and 39-year-old woman had been discharged. The 40-year-old was not taken to Harborview.

The toddler was in satisfactory condition at Harborview and was still being cared for, Gregg said.

A 27-year-old man who went to the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood in satisfactory condition has also been discharged, Gregg said.

Harborview is the highest-level trauma care center in the region.

What do we know about a shooter or shooters?

Investigators believe two people were shooting at each other at Seattle Center, Davis said.

One person was taken into custody, while a second person remained at large. Davis said the second person does not appear to pose a threat to the general public. He described the detained person as “a young person,” but would not say whether the individual is a juvenile or an adult.

Police did not provide additional information about either person.

A senior deputy prosecutor with the King County prosecuting attorney’s office responded to Seattle Center on Sunday night, according to the office.

When someone is arrested in Seattle in a felony investigation and booked before midnight, they typically have a first appearance hearing the following day. The King County prosecuting attorney’s office said it expects to provide its next update late Monday afternoon.

Police are seeking witnesses to the fatal shooting, and anyone with information is asked to call the department’s tip line at 206-233-5000.

Why did it take hours for officials to provide more information?

Seattle police released only one public update on social media in the five hours following the shooting.

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Initially, officers said they did not have an estimated time for the briefing. At 9:15 p.m., as more media members gathered, a police spokesperson announced it would begin at 9:45 p.m. The briefing didn’t start until shortly before 11 p.m.

A police public information officer told reporters the delay was because officials were waiting for “dignitaries” who wanted to participate. Mayor Katie Wilson, Gov. Bob Ferguson and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal spoke at the news conference.

Police at the briefing revealed the second suspected shooter remained at large.

Past violence at Bite of Seattle

The three-day Bite of Seattle festival is one of the city’s busiest annual events: Last year’s festival drew 282,000 people. It’s taken place at Seattle Center for decades and features hundreds of food and retail vendors as well as live music.

It is not the first time the Bite of Seattle has been a backdrop to violence.

In 1998, a riot involving around 1,000 people at the festival injured two police officers and resulted in three arrests.

And in 2006, a 16-year-old boy was taken to Harborview after reportedly being shot near Seattle Center around the time the event was closing for the day.

Material from The Seattle Times archives is included in this report.