Seattle pays tribute after deadly festival shooting kills 3
Three people were killed and several others wounded, including a toddler, when gunfire erupted at Seattle's Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday. Police say the festival shooting was a targeted gang-related gunfight involving at least three suspects. A 15-year-old is in custody, and the city has gathered to mourn the victims.
Key Takeaways
- Three people died at the Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday, including one suspected shooter.
- Police recovered a ghost gun and a pistol modified to fire fully automatically.
- A 15-year-old was detained; at least one other suspect remains at large.
- Seattle held a candlelight vigil as families remembered Ashley Whitehead as "a lover of life."
What happened at the Bite of Seattle festival?
Shots rang out just after 6 p.m. on the final day of the free three-day Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center, an event that draws some 350,000 people each year. Crowds fled as gunfire turned a celebration of local food into chaos, with some festival-goers knocking down a fence to escape.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the dead as Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19; Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; and Ashley Whitehead, 56. Police say Semo was involved in the gunfight. Villalba and Whitehead were not suspected of any crimes.
Among those wounded was a two-year-old boy who remained hospitalized in satisfactory condition. Other wounded adults were treated and later discharged, according to hospital officials cited by CNN.
Who were the victims remembered in Seattle?
Much of Seattle mourned on Monday. Mayor Katie Wilson joined a candlelight vigil where residents laid flowers and observed a moment of silence. Online fundraisers for two of the victims raised tens of thousands of dollars.
Whitehead's family said she was standing in line with her daughter for cotton candy when the shooting began. She died in hospital during surgery after exchanging "I love you's" with her eldest daughter. A GoFundMe described her as "a lover of life, art and family." She had recently moved from Alabama to be closer to her daughter Zoie.
A GoFundMe for Villalba called him a devoted husband, loving father of three, and a loyal friend. Funds were sought for funeral expenses for the family he left behind. Governor Bob Ferguson said the community was shocked that an "iconic community celebration could end in gunfire."
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What have police said about suspects and weapons?
Seattle police say the attack was a targeted act of gang violence involving at least three suspects. The 15-year-old was disarmed and arrested at the scene and held on investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault. Semo died at the scene. At least one more suspect remains at large.
Chief Shon Barnes said officers recovered three pistols, including an unregistered Polymer80 "ghost gun" with a 33-round magazine seized from the teen, and a Glock modified with an auto sear, or "switch," that allowed fully automatic fire and held 40 rounds. A third .45-caliber pistol was not used in the crime, The Guardian reported.
Police are still seeking a person who went to a hospital with a possible gunshot wound and left before speaking with investigators. Authorities continue reviewing evidence and camera footage to identify anyone still at large.