Two people were killed and five others wounded in a shooting Sunday evening at the Seattle Center, where thousands of visitors had gathered for the Bite of Seattle food festival, according to U.S. media reports.
The shooting occurred at around 6 p.m. local time at the sprawling events complex, located one block from the city’s iconic Space Needle.
Scene of the shooting
(Photo: X)
Witnesses said they heard seven or eight gunshots before panic spread through the crowded festival grounds.
Seattle police said officers were investigating a shooting involving multiple victims and urged the public to stay away from the area.
“Police are investigating a shooting,” the department said. “There are multiple victims. Shots were fired at Seattle Center. More information will follow. Please avoid the area.”
Videos shared on social media showed security forces escorting at least one person away in handcuffs.
Kayla Carris, 22, was sitting outside a building when the shooting began and festivalgoers started rushing indoors.
“Everyone just dropped everything and ran,” she said.
Astan Woknabu, 25, told The Seattle Times that he was attending the festival with his girlfriend when he heard the shots.
He said the event was so crowded that visitors could barely move between the long lines at the food stands. As the gunfire erupted, people began “trampling each other,” while he and his girlfriend remained where they were.
“It was just complete chaos,” he said.
Woknabu said he later returned to the scene to take photographs and saw several shooting victims on the ground, including one person covered with a yellow sheet.
Another witness said he was watching a movie at a nearby theater when the screening was suddenly stopped because of the shooting.
Moviegoers were told to raise their hands and leave the auditorium slowly, he said, as between 10 and 15 police officers entered with their weapons drawn.
A theater spokesperson said the building was evacuated and would remain closed for the rest of the day.
A spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center, the region’s main trauma hospital, said the facility was preparing to receive victims from the shooting.
Bite of Seattle, which has been held at Seattle Center for decades, is one of the complex’s busiest annual events. The festival attracted 282,000 visitors last year and features hundreds of food and retail stands alongside live music performances.
The Seattle Center Monorail, whose terminal is located at the complex, said it would remain closed for the rest of Sunday.
First published: 05:28, 07.27.26