Seattle Space Needle shooting: 3 dead; 15-year-old suspect in custody, 2nd sought

(NewsNation) — A suspect is in custody, and police are searching for a second gunman after a shooting near the Seattle Space Needle on Sunday left three people dead and four others hurt.

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Seattle Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said gunshots were heard around 6:01 p.m., and officers already in the area responded within moments. Davis said investigators believe two people were shooting at each other when officers arrived.

One of the two suspects, since identified as a 15-year-old by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, was taken into custody, while the second fled the scene.

In total, seven people suffered gunshot wounds, Davis said. Officers performed CPR at the scene, and the Seattle Fire Department transported four of the victims, including a toddler, to the hospital. Two other victims remained at the scene and did not survive their injuries.

One of the four patients taken to the hospital later died of their injuries, bringing the total number of fatalities to three. A seventh victim arrived later at the University of Washington Medical Center with a gunshot wound; their condition wasn’t immediately known.

The shooting happened at the annual Bite of Seattle festival northwest of downtown.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings, and Washington State Patrol SWAT officers were deployed to assist local police.

“My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Ferguson said in a statement on X.

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What are witnesses to the Seattle shooting saying?

Estan Wakonabo told the Associated Press that he and his girlfriend were at the festival, waiting in line for a photo booth, when he was shoved from behind. He 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 it was around then that he heard gunshots.

“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he told the AP.

After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.

In a statement, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said, “Tonight, our attention belongs to the people whose lives were taken, those fighting to recover, and the families beside them.”

“Seattle grieves with you, and we will stand with you in the difficult days ahead,” she said.

The annual Bite of Seattle festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration,” according to its website.

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