A 15-year-old boy has been remanded in custody as Seattle police hunt for at least one more suspect after a deadly shooting at a food festival that left three dead and four injured, including a two-year-old.
Court documents released on Monday revealed that investigators now believe three people may have fired shots during what police described as a “gunfight” at the annual Bite of Seattle festival, held at the iconic Space Needle. One suspect is thought to have died at the scene, while another remains at large.
“Three killed, four injured in Seattle food festival shooting as police hunt one suspect and detain a 15-year-old.”
“Police continue to look for a third possible suspect,” said Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson at a news conference.
The teenager waived his initial court appearance on Monday and was remanded in custody pending trial, local media reported. Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said the 15-year-old and the 19-year-old suspect who was killed are believed to be “associated with each other,” though she declined to elaborate on their connection.
The three victims were identified by the King County medical examiner as Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56. Police now believe Semo was involved in the exchange of gunfire. Two people were confirmed dead at the scene, while a third died in hospital.
Two guns were recovered at the scene, police said.
Sunday marked the final day of the three-day free festival, which draws around 350,000 visitors each year. Videos shared online showed panicked attendees crouching behind pillars and merchandise shelves in the Space Needle lobby as shots rang out.
“Everybody started running, and so we just ran too,” witness Leanne Coles told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. “We ran through the garden and we ducked and we decided to keep running with the crowd.”
Another witness, Faith Adia Hunter, told the Associated Press that one of the shooters was near her and her friends when they heard the shots, sending them fleeing for shelter.
Assistant Chief Powell said preliminary information indicated the shooting may have been “gang-related.” The investigation is ongoing, with police searching for the remaining suspect.
The shooting has shaken a city still grappling with the trauma of a mass shooting earlier this year at a Seattle high school. For now, the focus remains on finding the person who, according to court papers, is “at least one other unknown suspect” believed to have fired shots.
