'Saw families, kids, just running': Witnesses recount panic as gunfire erupts at Seattle festival

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos after a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival left three people dead and four others injured on Sunday, July 26, as police detained a 15-year-old suspect and continued searching for a second gunman.

The shooting erupted outside the Seattle Center Armory at Seattle Center, where thousands had gathered for the annual food festival. Authorities said three people were killed, including a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman who later died at a hospital. Four others were wounded, including a two-year-old boy, whose condition has since improved to satisfactory.

Witnesses recall screams and frantic escape after gunfire

Several festivalgoers described hearing multiple gunshots before crowds fled in terror.

“I heard bang, bang, bang, and I heard yelling, straight yelling,” one witness told King 5.

Another witness, identified as Isiah, told KOMO News he initially thought the loud noises were something routine before realising people were screaming. “I was working when I heard four pops,” he said. “Women, kids, and men were screaming. I hopped the fence.”

A second witness, Andrew, said he first dismissed the sounds as harmless until he saw families running through the festival.

“I saw families, kids, just running out of the fair,” he said. “Someone said active shooter, and I jumped the fence and ran.”

Earlier, another attendee, Kayla Carris, told local media that “everyone was just throwing stuff and running,” while Todd Behrends recalled seeing people jump over one another in a desperate attempt to escape after hearing several rounds of gunfire.

Teen detained as police search for second suspected shooter

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators believe two people exchanged gunfire outside the Armory after a dispute between two small groups, with innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Mayor Katie Wilson said authorities believe the 15-year-old taken into custody opened fire in the crowd, although the investigation remains ongoing. The teenager has been booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of firearms violations and first-degree assault. 

Police continue to search for a second suspected shooter, though investigators have not ruled out the possibility that one of the deceased may have been involved in the exchange of gunfire.

Officials said the remaining injured victims included a 23-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and a 40-year-old woman, all of whom were reported in satisfactory condition or treated for minor injuries.

Investigators are also determining whether a 27-year-old man who arrived at a hospital on his own was connected to the shooting.