Two people were killed and five others were injured after a shooting broke out on Sunday evening during the popular Bite of Seattle food festival near the city’s iconic Space Needle, triggering panic as thousands of people fled the venue.The shooting occurred around 6 pm at the Seattle Center, where the annual food festival was underway. Police launched an investigation and urged people to avoid the area. Authorities initially did not confirm whether anyone had been arrested.Later on Sunday night, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said two people had been taken into custody. Police, however, did not immediately say whether any other suspects were involved or disclose a possible motive, The Seattle Times reported.Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Grace Nunez said two people died at the scene, while five others were taken to Harborview Medical Center.The injured included a 56-year-old woman in serious condition. A two-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were reported to be in stable condition, while a 40-year-old woman suffered minor injuries.Harborview Medical Center spokesperson Susan Gregg said the hospital admitted four victims, including the toddler, the 23-year-old man and two adult women. One patient remained in critical condition.
‘Shooting! Shooting!’: Chaos caught on camera
The annual Bite of Seattle festival had drawn thousands of visitors, with food stalls and entertainment spread across the sprawling Seattle Center complex when the gunfire erupted.A livestream from a food vendor, Hawaiian Honey Cones, captured the first moments of the shooting and the ensuing chaos.“Shooting! Shooting!” a man is heard shouting.Moments later, another voice yelled, “Get down, get down, get down,” as crowds scramble to flee.Videos circulating on social media showed people jumping over fences, running for safety and taking shelter inside the Space Needle’s lobby. Images also showed a heavy police presence, with multiple emergency vehicles and officers in tactical gear responding to the scene.
‘Bang, bang bang’: Witnesses recount escape
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as festival-goers ran in all directions after gunfire erupted at the Bite of Seattle festival. Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just picked up food from a crepe vendor when the shooting began. “We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” Hunter said.Another attendee, Estan Wakonabo, said he was waiting with his girlfriend at a photo booth when people suddenly began rushing past them.“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,” he added.After escorting his girlfriend to safety, Wakonabo returned to the area and saw several victims lying on the ground, he said.Paul Skinner, 47, who runs a Filipino food stall at the festival, told The Seattle Times he had just returned with drinks for his staff when he heard what initially sounded like fireworks.“I just heard what sounded like what were some pretty loud fireworks at first,” he said. “Then, the energy changed. Mobs of people started flooding back down. I just told our staff to get down,” he added.Another witness, Todd Behrends, 59, said he heard several rounds of gunfire before panic spread through the crowd.People began running and jumping over one another to escape. Behrends said he saw a woman who had fallen after someone stepped on her leg. As he made his way towards an exit, he also saw a woman lying on the ground and a man being taken away on a stretcher.Another witness told local media, “I heard bang, bang, bang, and then people started screaming.”The Seattle Police Department confirmed the incident in a post on X. “Police are investigating a shooting. Multiple shooting victims. Shots fired at the Seattle Center. More information to come. Please avoid the area,” it said.The Bite of Seattle, first held in 1982, is one of the city’s largest annual events, attracting around 350,000 visitors over three days of food, drinks and community celebrations.
