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Bite of Seattle shooting
A deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle left three people dead and several wounded after gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday at the Seattle Center Armory area.
“Teen suspect in custody, another dead after Seattle food festival shooting: Officials There may be a third possible suspect in Sunday's shooting, officials said”
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said, "We now know that at least two people exchanged gunfire outside the Seattle Center Armory," as police also said the 15-year-old suspect was in custody and a 19-year-old man was dead.
Police said the 15-year-old was booked for investigation for firearms violations and first-degree assault, while ABC News reported that the 19-year-old man was believed to be an "associate" of the teen in custody.
The AP reported that investigators believe there were at least three suspects involved, including the 15-year-old, an acquaintance who died at the scene, and "at least one other unknown suspect," with the violence described as possibly gang-related.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the dead as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; Ashley Whitehead, 56; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, while officials said at least four others were injured, including a 2-year-old boy.
Conflicting suspect accounts
Police initially said two suspects were thought to have been shooting at each other, but court papers relating to the arrest of the 15-year-old revealed police now think there is a third, with BBC reporting that one suspect was still being sought.
BBC quoted Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson saying, "Police continue to look for a third possible suspect," as Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said the shooting may have been "gang-related" while cautioning, "this is all preliminary information subject to change".
AP also described how officials provided confusing statements, saying the police department waited five hours to share with the public that one shooter had been arrested and that they believed another to be on the loose.
AP reported that earlier Wilson announced two people were in custody, a statement she retracted, and that Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators weren’t sure if the second suspect was among the dead.
KOMO reported that Mayor Wilson and Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said investigators now believe Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, was one of at least two people who exchanged gunfire, while a 15-year-old boy remained in custody and detectives continued to search for a possible third suspect.
Aftermath and next steps
Investigators said the shooting may have been gang-related, with ABC News reporting that Seattle Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said there were "two groups firing" near the Armory during the food festival.
“Number of suspects in fatal Seattle food festival shooting rises to three Seattle police say they now believe at least three people were involved in a fatal shooting at a food festival on Sunday”
Police said at least seven people were caught in the crossfire, and ABC News reported that three injured victims— a 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman—were hospitalized, with the 2-year-old in satisfactory condition and the man and woman discharged.
The AP reported that the King County prosecutor’s office expected to receive the case from Seattle police on Wednesday for a charging decision after a judge ordered the 15-year-old held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault.
The Seattle Center reopened to the public after the shooting, and KOMO reported that the city planned to provide another update during a news conference at noon Tuesday while investigators reviewed Seattle Center surveillance footage.
In the wake of the violence, the BBC reported that Washington Governor Bob Ferguson condemned the shooting as "senseless violence," while Wilson condemned it as an "act of horrific violence" and said impacted families were living through "the worst moment of their lives".
