3 min readJul 27, 2026 01:32 PM IST
Gunfire broke out during Seattle’s annual Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday evening. The shooting occurred around 6 pm local time during the closing hours of the Bite of Seattle festival, held at Seattle Center near the Space Needle. The annual event, which began in 1982, attracts around 350,000 visitors over three days and features hundreds of food vendors, retailers, and live performances.
A large police and emergency response was deployed to the Seattle Center following the shooting, with authorities evacuating parts of the sprawling events campus. Police have not disclosed the exact location within the festival where the shooting took place.
What we know about the victims
Three people were killed and four others injured in the shooting in Seattle. According to the Seattle Fire Department, the injured victims include a 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and a 56-year-old woman, all of whom were taken to hospital. Police said the toddler, the 23-year-old man and the 39-year-old woman are in stable condition, while the 56-year-old woman underwent surgery after initially being listed in critical condition. A 40-year-old woman was treated for minor injuries. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the three people who were killed, pending notification of their families.
What we know about the suspects
The police have arrested one suspect and are searching for another, saying investigators believe the two suspects exchanged fire. Seattle Police Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis said detectives do not yet have a description of the second suspect. The police have also not announced a motive for the shooting but believe the shooting was an exchange of gunfire between the two individuals. Davis added that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
How the administration says
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said he was receiving regular briefings on the incident and confirmed that State Patrol SWAT officers had been deployed to assist local law enforcement. “My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Ferguson said in a statement.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said one person had been taken into custody following the shooting. Police later confirmed one arrest and said the search for a second suspect was continuing.
What eyewitnesses recount
Witnesses described scenes of panic as gunfire sent festival-goers scrambling for safety.
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Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just collected food from a crepe stall when the shooting began. “We were right next to him when it started, so we took off running,” she said, adding that they sought shelter inside the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.
Vendor Roberto Ramirez said he initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks before hearing people shout “shooter” and seeing crowds flee in panic. “Suddenly everything was empty. People were freaked out,” he said, recalling that many vendors abandoned their food stalls as people rushed towards the exits.
Another attendee, Estan Wakonabo, said people pushed each other while trying to escape, and baby strollers fell over. “Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said. After escorting his girlfriend to safety, Wakonabo said he returned to the scene and saw multiple victims lying on the ground.
