Gunfire Erupts at Seattle Food Festival, Killing Three
Shooting near the Space Needle sends crowds fleeing as police hunt a second suspect
By Nathaniel "Beltway" Steele
Gunfire tore through the Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center Sunday evening, killing three people and injuring at least four others, according to Seattle Police.
The shooting broke out near the city's Space Needle, a gathering place for cultural and arts events that was packed with festivalgoers for the weekend event. Police said one suspect is in custody. A second is believed to still be at large. Investigators say the shooters may have been firing at each other when bystanders were caught in the crossfire, though a motive has not been released.
Early reports Sunday night carried conflicting casualty figures — some outlets initially reported two dead and five wounded, others multiple victims of unspecified number — a reminder that first accounts from an active scene are often incomplete. As of Sunday night, Seattle Police had not released the names or ages of the dead or wounded, nor detailed how the shooting unfolded.
Witnesses described chaos as gunfire erupted amid festival crowds, with people running for cover between food stalls near one of the city's best-known landmarks. Seattle Center regularly hosts large public gatherings, and the shooting is likely to reopen questions about security at outdoor festivals in dense public spaces.
This is a developing story. The American Times will update as police release confirmed details on victims, suspects and motive.
Read the footnotes. The story's always in the footnotes.
— Compiled from reporting by NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."