Seattle food festival shooting leaves 2 dead, 5 wounded

A shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday evening resulted in two fatalities and five injuries, according to a spokesperson for the city's fire department. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. local time at the Seattle Center, a major events complex located near the iconic Space Needle.

Emergency services responded swiftly, with police urging the public to avoid the area northwest of downtown Seattle. Harborview Medical Center confirmed it admitted four victims from the shooting. Among those hospitalized were a toddler, a 23-year-old man, and two adult women. One patient remained in critical condition following the incident.

Eyewitness Estan Wakonabo described the chaos, stating he was waiting in line with his girlfriend when he was pushed from behind. He then witnessed a stampede of people fleeing the scene. "People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling," Wakonabo recounted, adding that he heard multiple gunshots shortly after.

After ensuring his girlfriend's safety, Wakonabo returned to the scene and observed multiple victims on the ground. The annual Bite of Seattle festival, which began in 1982, typically draws around 350,000 attendees over three days, celebrating food, drink, and community.

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People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling. Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop’, that’s when I knew it was a shooter.