Seattle Center Shooting Leaves Two Dead and Five Injured at Food Festival

A shooting at the Seattle Center on Sunday evening left at least two people dead and five others injured during the annual Bite of Seattle food festival near the iconic Space Needle, according to multiple reports. Some sources, including the BBC and msn.com, indicated three fatalities, while others, such as Yahoo.com and i24news.tv, reported two dead. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. PT, sending panic through the crowd of thousands gathered for the three-day event, with witnesses describing chaotic scenes of people fleeing and others collapsing with gunshot wounds.

Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Grace Nuñez confirmed that two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while four others were transported to Harborview Medical Center, the region’s top-level trauma center. Among the injured were a 2-year-old boy, a 56-year-old woman, a 39-year-old woman, a 23-year-old man, and a 40-year-old woman who declined medical treatment. One woman remained in critical condition, according to hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg. The injuries included gunshot wounds to the arm, leg, abdomen, and lower leg. Other sources, such as the BBC and msn.com, reported three fatalities, though details about the additional victim were not specified in the provided sources.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson described the attack as an “act of horrific violence,” emphasizing the sudden shift from a joyful gathering to a scene of terror. “Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire,” she said in a statement. Wilson confirmed that a suspect had been taken into custody, though details about the individual remained unclear. Conflicting reports emerged about the suspect’s status: some sources, including the AOL article, initially mentioned two individuals in custody, but the mayor later clarified that only one suspect had been taken into custody.

Witnesses recounted the moment the shooting began. Estan Wakonabo, who was waiting in line for a photo booth, said he heard “pop, pop, pop” as people around him fled. “There’s bodies everywhere,” he told NBC affiliate KING. Paul Skinner, a vendor at a food booth, described hearing what initially sounded like firecrackers before the crowd’s energy turned “horrific.” Others, like Isiah and Andrew, recounted jumping fences and fleeing as gunfire echoed through the festival grounds. A livestream from a vendor’s booth captured the chaos, showing employees ducking behind counters and attendees scrambling for safety.

The shooting occurred as the Bite of Seattle, an event drawing over 350,000 attendees annually, was concluding. The festival, which features more than 130 food vendors and live entertainment, has been a summer tradition in the Pacific Northwest for over 40 years. Organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Seattle Police Department officials urged the public to avoid the area as investigators examined the scene. The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also joined the probe, though no motive or number of shooters had been disclosed at the time of the report.

The incident has left the community reeling. Seattle Center, a 74-acre complex that includes the Space Needle and the Seattle Monorail, has long been a hub for cultural events. The shooting disrupted the area’s normal rhythm, with monorail service suspended for the night and emergency responders working to stabilize the situation. As the investigation continues, officials have pledged transparency, with Wilson stating, “We will establish what happened and be transparent with the public about what we have learned.”