Suspect in Seattle Shooting is a 15-Year-Old Boy, City Mayor Says
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The suspect arrested after the shooting that killed three people and injured at least four others at a food festival near Seattle's Space Needle is 15 years old, the city's mayor reported on Monday. The teenager is in a juvenile detention center while being investigated for assault and possession of firearms and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday afternoon, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a press conference. Authorities are still searching for a second suspect. Investigators believe the two suspects were shooting at each other on Sunday, and although one remains at large, Seattle Police Deputy Chief Tyrone Davis stated at a press conference Sunday night that there is no ongoing threat to the public. The police do not have a description of the suspect who is still at large, the officer indicated. "We are still trying to piece this together," Davis expressed. The police did not respond to phone and email inquiries. Two people died at the scene and a third died in a hospital. They were described as two men, ages 19 and 44, and a 56-year-old woman. The four injured, including a 2-year-old child, were hospitalized. The child was in satisfactory condition on Monday. The others—a 23-year-old man, a 27-year-old man, and a 39-year-old woman—were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said. Davis could not say if any of the victims were involved in the confrontation. Vendors who fled, abandoning their food stands, were cleaning up on Monday. A candlelight vigil was planned for Monday night at the International Fountain in downtown. The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. on Sunday, during the final hours of Bite of Seattle, an annual three-day festival that attracts hundreds of food vendors and retailers, as well as artists. Dozens of officers were providing security at the event, and some witnessed one of the suspects firing, Davis noted. One suspect surrendered at the scene, but the other fled. A large number of police and emergency teams arrived and began evacuating the area around the expansive Seattle Center complex. Faith Adia Hunter recounted that she and her friends had just bought food from a crepe stand when the gunfire erupted. "We were about to start eating, then we heard someone shout something, and then we saw people starting to run," Hunter said. "So we ran too." "We were right next to it when it started, so we ran out," Hunter added. Hunter described how, in the rush to find a safe place, she and others ran toward the nearby Seattle Children's Museum. Amid the chaos, many vendors rushed to the exits, leaving their food stands behind. Hours later, some were wandering outside the police cordon, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food, and cooking equipment. Roberto Ramírez, a vendor at the event, said he heard something that sounded like firecrackers before people started shouting "shooter" and running frantically. "Suddenly everything was empty," he said. "People were terrified." After the initial panic, new attendees continued to arrive unaware of what had happened, and police directed them to leave, he added. Estan Wakonabo shared that he and his girlfriend were at the festival, waiting in line for a photo booth, when someone pushed him from behind and, turning around, he saw a stampede of people fleeing. "People were hiding, pushing, people were falling to the ground, strollers were falling over," Wakonabo said, adding that it was then he heard the gunshots. "When I heard 'pop, pop, pop,' that’s when I knew it was a shooter," he expressed. Wakonabo noted that after escorting his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw several victims on the ground. The festival began in 1982 and attracts 350,000 attendees, according to its website. This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. A Telemundo Digital editor reviewed the translation.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
