Police say there were at least three suspects involved in a food festival shooting near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend, and that one of them was among those killed in the violence.
In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case was making an initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters: the 15-year-old; an acquaintance who died at the scene; and “at least one other unknown suspect.”
“Based on the evidence at the scene, investigators believe” the 15-year-old “and one of the deceased engaged in a gunfight with at least one other unknown suspect,” the document said.
The teen was being held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault ahead of the afternoon court appearance, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a news conference.
Authorities said earlier Monday they are still looking for an additional suspect, but could not rule out whether that individual was among those killed.
“We are trying to identify who that person is,” said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.
Investigators had said they believed the two suspects were shooting at each other. Police said late Sunday night it was not clear whether any of the victims had been involved in the confrontation between the two shooters.
Two people died at the scene and a third died at a hospital. They were described as two men, ages 19 and 44, and a woman, 56.
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The four wounded included a 2-year-old boy, who was in satisfactory condition Monday. The others — two men, ages 23 and 27, and a woman, 39 — were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said.
Vendors were allowed to return to the sprawling campus Monday morning to clean up and collect their equipment and merchandise. Skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates full of food were among the items left behind as people fled the gunfire.
Near the spot of the shooting, a stain of what appeared to be blood was still visible in the morning. A candlelight vigil was planned Monday night at the center’s International Fountain.
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle. The annual three-day festival draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers to Seattle Center, a sprawling park and event space in the shadow of the Space Needle. Many attendees rushed into campus buildings or ran from the park at the sound of the shots.
Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and some saw one of the suspects firing, authorities said. A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area. Police then searched an IMAX theater on the grounds where they initially believed a second shooter had fled.
Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stand at the festival with his spouse, described the panic of fleeing people as a “stampede.” As he gathered his equipment Monday, he described how police escorted them into the crime scene to turn off their 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 gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out nearby. In the scramble to find safety, she and others ran into 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.”
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.
“Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”
After the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive, unaware of what had happened. Police told them to leave, he said.
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and turned to see a rush of people fleeing.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.
“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.
After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.
The festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees, according to its website.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle, Annika Wolters in Bangkok and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
