Police are searching for a second suspect after a deadly shooting near Seattle’s Space Needle on Sunday. They say one suspect is in custody after gunfire erupted during a food festival, killing three people and injuring four others, including a toddler.
It happened at about 6 p.m. local time at the Bite of Seattle festival.
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Investigators believe the two suspects were shooting at each other and say two guns were found at the scene. One suspect surrendered to officers, but the other took off.
Police Chief Tyrone Davis said the person taken into custody is “a young person,” but said officers do not have a description of the second gunman. He also said officers only saw one person, the one taken into custody, opening fire.
Police do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public.
Witnesses describe chaos
Witnesses say the festival quickly descended into chaos as people ran for cover.
Faith Adia Hunter told The Associated Press that she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when the gunfire broke out near them.
“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” Hunter said, adding others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.
“We suddenly heard some firecrackers, what I thought were firecrackers, and people started yelling ‘shooter, shooter’ and there was like a stampede of people just running,” Roberto Ramirez, one of the festival’s vendors, said. “They were stepping over people. They were stepping on people. There was a lot of food on the floor, and there were people on the floors, there were kids, strollers.”
Isaiah Flores Sanches told the Seattle news outlet KING, “It went from something being so playful and so joyful to being something so horrific, and I seen people on the floor trying to take cover.”
Estan Wakonabo told AP 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. “Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter.”
Lawmkers react
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting an “unbelievable tragedy” and said the city has now seen three major gun violence incidents in just the past few days.
“My heart right now is with the victims and their families and with everyone in our community who is reeling from what happened here today,” she said at a news conference Sunday night.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said officials would work to get federal resources, according to NBC News.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says federal agents are assisting Seattle police as investigators continue the search for the second suspect.
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