A mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival near the Seattle Center on Sunday evening left three people dead and four injured, including a 2-year-old child, according to Seattle police and fire officials.
The shooting occurred shortly after 6 p. m.
, prompting a rapid police response. Two people exchanged gunfire, resulting in seven victims.
Two died at the scene, and a third later died at Harborview Medical Center.
Acting Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis said officers already present at the event quickly responded to the gunfire.
"This is a tragedy. I'm really sorry that this happened.
The Bite of Seattle is a very positive event. We haven't had any issues in recent years.
Thankfully, we had officers on scene who were brave, went toward those shots, and prevented more victims from being injured," Davis said.
One suspect, described as a young person, was taken into custody and brought to police headquarters for questioning.
A second suspect remains at large.
Mayor Katie Wilson expressed sorrow over the incident. "I'm sorry that we're having to gather here tonight under these tragic circumstances.
What happened here today at the Seattle Center was an unbelievable tragedy," Wilson said.
Investigators are collaborating with the FBI to identify any additional suspects and determine the motive behind the shooting.
Seattle Fire Department reported that four victims, including the toddler, were hospitalized at Harborview.
Hospital officials stated that three patients are in satisfactory condition with gunshot wounds to the leg, abdomen, and arm.
A 40-year-old woman sustained minor injuries but declined hospital transport.
Susan Gregg from Harborview noted the trauma center's preparedness for such incidents. "It's a busy time for Harborview, it's the trauma center, it's the summer.
It's very busy, this is what we're meant to do.
We're always ready because we're a level one trauma center, so if something like this happens, an unfortunate shooting, then we deliver and that's what we did this evening," Gregg said.
Security at the Seattle Center remained heightened Monday as vendors packed up and the site was closed to the public.
The Pacific Science Center canceled all events, and the monorail was set to reopen the following morning. The festival attracted over 300,000 attendees.
A witness named Andrew described the chaotic scene as gunfire erupted.
"I heard a couple pops, but I didn't think it was anything big until I saw people running.
I saw families, kids, just everybody running out of the fair," Andrew said.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office indicated the arrested suspect would likely appear in court Monday morning.
