Three people were killed, two firearms were recovered and investigators said the motive remained unknown.
SEATTLE — Police searched Monday for a second suspect after an apparent exchange of gunfire at the crowded Bite of Seattle festival killed three people and wounded four others, including a 2-year-old boy.
One suspect was taken into custody following the shooting, which erupted at about 6 p.m. Sunday at Seattle Center, police said. Investigators believe two people were shooting at each other during the final hours of the annual food and music festival. Police had not released a description of the person still being sought.
The people who died were a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman, according to police. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman died after she was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment. Authorities had not publicly released their names.
The wounded included the toddler, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman who were taken to Harborview Medical Center. A 40-year-old woman suffered minor injuries and declined transportation to a hospital, fire officials said. Hospital officials said Monday that the adult patients had been released and the child remained in satisfactory condition.
Police recovered two guns from the scene. Acting Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis said officers assigned to the festival heard the shots and responded within seconds. Some officers saw one person firing, and a suspect surrendered at the scene while another fled, he said.
Davis said investigators had not determined whether any of the people who were killed or wounded were involved in the confrontation. Authorities also had not announced a motive or explained what happened before the shooting began. Detectives from the homicide and gun violence reduction units were working on the case.
Police described the detained suspect only as a young person. Authorities did not immediately announce an arrest charge, and the suspect’s name and age had not been released. Davis said investigators were interviewing the person as they worked to establish the sequence of events.
Although the second suspected shooter had not been found, police said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the wider community. Officers searched the Seattle Center grounds Sunday night as emergency crews evacuated visitors and restricted access to parts of the campus.
The shooting occurred in a heavily traveled section of Seattle Center near the Space Needle. The 74-acre campus contains museums, performance spaces, sports facilities and other attractions. Large crowds had gathered there for the last day of the three-day Bite of Seattle festival.
Investigators said no surveillance cameras covered the immediate area where the shooting happened. Police appealed for recordings, photographs and witness accounts from the many people who were nearby. Authorities said the crowded setting made it likely that numerous visitors saw some part of the confrontation or its aftermath.
Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting a horrific act of violence and said the city would provide information as investigators established what happened. She thanked police officers, firefighters, medical workers, event employees and bystanders who helped people reach safety or treated the wounded.
The investigation remained active Monday. Police had not identified the outstanding suspect, announced a possible motive or said whether the recovered firearms had been linked to either suspected shooter.
Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.