Seattle food festival shooting kills 2, injures 5 including toddler

Seattle,UPDATED: Jul 27, 2026 10:10 IST

Two people were killed and five others, including a two-year-old boy, were injured in a shooting at a popular food festival near Seattle's Space Needle on Sunday evening, officials said.

The shooting took place at around 6 pm during the final hours of the annual Bite of Seattle festival. Police launched an investigation, asked people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown, and did not immediately say whether anyone had been taken into custody.

Grace Nuez, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department, said two people died at the scene. Five injured people were taken to Harborview Medical Centre, including a 56-year-old woman who was in serious condition.

Nuez said a two-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were in stable condition, while a 40-year-old woman had minor injuries.

A large number of police and emergency crews reached the area and began evacuating the Seattle Center events campus. Authorities did not say exactly where the shooting happened at the festival, which had both outdoor and indoor spaces.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings and that State Patrol SWAT officers had been sent to assist local police. In a statement, he said, "My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe."

Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just got food from a crepe vendor when the shooting began. She said she realised the shooter was near them. "We were right next to him when it started so we took off running," Hunter said. "So we took off running too into the building with the crowd." She said they then took shelter in the nearby Seattle Children's Museum.

As panic spread, many vendors ran towards the exits and left behind their food stalls. Hours later, some were still waiting outside police tape to find out when they could return for their tents, food and cooking equipment.

Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the festival, said he first heard sounds like firecrackers before people started shouting "shooter" and running in panic. "Suddenly everything was empty," he said. "People were freaked out." He said some people continued to arrive after the first rush, unaware of what had happened, and police told them to leave.

Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was pushed from behind and turned to see people running away. "People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling," Wakonabo said, adding that he then heard gunfire. "Once I heard a pop, pop, pop, that's when I knew it was a shooter," he said. He said that after taking his girlfriend to safety, he returned and saw several victims on the ground.

The Bite of Seattle festival began in 1982 and, according to its website, draws 350,000 people over three days of food, drink and community celebration. The shooting brought the event to a halt as investigators continued to examine what happened.

With PTI Inputs

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