A shooting left three people dead and at least four injured, including a child, on Sunday in Seattle, according to police in this metropolis in the northwest of the United States, who have arrested an alleged perpetrator but are looking for at least one other shooter.
The facts occurred around 6:00 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Quebec time) during a gastronomic festival in a tourist area near the iconic Space Needle, an observation tower built for the 1962 World’s Fair.
“We believe two people were shooting at each other,” Seattle Police Deputy Chief Tyrone Davis (SPD) said at a late-night news conference.
A first suspect surrendered to the police officers who were quickly deployed on site but a second fled and remains “actively sought”, he said. Tyrone Davis reported “three deaths in total for seven victims” recorded.
Two people died at the scene, while a third died from his injuries after being transported to Harborview Hospital. The other injured, including the child, are “all in stable condition”, he added.
Harborview Hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg previously said the facility had treated four patients: a child, a 39-year-old woman, a 23-year-old man, and another woman of unknown age who had been sent to the operating room.
The last injured person came forward after the shooting at Washington State University Medical Center, according to Tyrone Davis.
Two weapons were found at the scene of the shooting, said the deputy police chief, adding that the situation there presented “no longer a threat to the population”.
Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson said an elite SWAT unit had been deployed to assist local police.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, as well as the responders who are working to protect the public,” he said on X. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting “a horrific act of violence.”
“Our hearts go out to those whose lives were taken, those fighting to recover, and the families alongside them,” she said in a statement.
She also expressed gratitude to “the Seattle police officers who responded to the scene and took a suspect into custody.”
The shooting took place during the “Bite of Seattle” summer festival, which honors local businesses and food outlets. Several witnesses said they heard numerous gunshots before fleeing.
A Seattle Times reporter said he heard loud bangs and then what sounded like very rapid gunfire.
“At first I thought it was fireworks, then everyone came running past us,” Nick Bate told local television station KIRO.
“We started running. I didn’t know. I didn’t look where the person was going. I just heard all that,” a witness told AFP.
