SEATTLE — At least three suspects were involved in a shootout that broke out during a busy food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend, police said Monday, adding that one of the suspected shooters was among those killed.
The new details emerged in a Seattle juvenile court filing after a 15-year-old arrested in connection with the case waived his initial appearance Monday. In the document, police said investigators now believe the gunfire involved at least three shooters: the teen, an acquaintance who died at the scene and “at least one other unknown suspect.”
Nicole Powell, assistant chief of investigations for the Seattle Police Department, said at a Monday afternoon news conference that the violence may have been gang-related. Investigators believe two groups may have exchanged gunfire, she said. The suspected shooter who died was 19 years old.
A judge ordered the 15-year-old to remain in juvenile detention while authorities investigate possible firearms violations and first-degree assault. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it expects to receive the case from Seattle police on Wednesday before deciding whether to file charges.
The shooting erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday as the Bite of Seattle was winding down, killing three people and injuring at least four others, including a toddler. The annual three-day event brings hundreds of food vendors, retailers and performers to Seattle Center, the large public campus beneath the Space Needle. As shots rang out, festivalgoers fled across the grounds, with some rushing into nearby buildings for cover.
Officials provided confusing statements about the shooting
The disclosure that police are looking at at least three suspects came after a series of shifting public statements from city officials in the chaotic hours after the shooting.
On Sunday, the Police Department did not tell the public for five hours that one suspected shooter had been arrested and that investigators believed another might still be at large. Earlier in the evening, Mayor Katie Wilson said two people were in custody, but later walked back that statement.
Speaking before Monday’s court hearing, Police Chief Shon Barnes said detectives had not yet determined whether the second suspected shooter was among those who died. Neither Barnes nor the mayor mentioned the possibility of additional shooters at that briefing. Barnes was out of town Sunday, attending a conference of Black law enforcement executives in Dallas.
The officials defended their handling of the case, saying they were trying to ensure they provided accurate information about chaotic events.
The victims included a father of three
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday identified the dead as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; Ashley Whitehead, 56; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19.
Villalba was a husband and father of three known for his kindness and willingness to help others, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched Monday to help his family with funeral expenses. He died from a gunshot wound to his torso, while Whitehead died from a gunshot to her pelvis and Semo died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The four wounded included a 2-year-old boy, who was in satisfactory condition Monday. The others – two men, ages 23 and 27, and a woman, 39 – were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said.
One of the victims was walking a bicycle when struck, the court document said. The toddler was with his mother.
Vendors were allowed to clean up Monday
Vendors were allowed to return to the campus Monday morning to collect their equipment. Skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates full of food were among the items left behind as people fled.
Near the spot of the shooting, a stain of what appeared to be blood was still visible. A candlelight vigil was planned Monday night at the center’s International Fountain.
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Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and responded in seconds, at least one observing a suspect firing, authorities said. Police searched an IMAX theater on the grounds where they initially believed a second shooter had fled.
Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stand at the festival, described the panic of fleeing people as a “stampede.” As he gathered his equipment Monday, he described how police escorted food vendors back to the crime scene to turn off their ovens and stoves.
“It’s really sad because you think that three innocent people aren’t getting up with their families,” he said. “They just came to enjoy a food festival with people, with friends, with new friends, and they lost their lives in just what sounds like meaningless bloodshed.”
Attendees describe chaos at a joyful event
Festival attendee Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. They sheltered in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.
“We were about to start eating, then heard someone yell something, then we saw people start to run,” Hunter said. “So we took off running, too.”
Moises Perez, 30, was cooking in his apartment next to the Seattle Center when he spotted people running and yelling outside his window. When he opened his door, he heard gunshots and started ushering more than a dozen people, mostly women and children, inside.
“I was like, ‘OK, we need to help these people,'” said Perez, a construction worker who had attended the food festival that morning. He said losing his brother to gun violence in Mexico years ago made him determined to help the people trying to get to safety.
He and his roommate, William Large, 25, made sure the door was locked and started directing people to the bathroom and hallway, and told them they could stay as long as they needed.
“They were definitely in shock. I know that a lot of people were crying, people were screaming, people were just in complete fear,” said Large, who works in social services.
About 30 minutes later, Perez walked out to see what had happened. He found a woman shot in the leg being helped by emergency officials.
The festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees, according to its website.
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Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Hallie Golden and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle; Annika Wolters in Bangkok; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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