Eugene JohnsonUpdated July 27, 2026 — 4:16pm,first published 1:38pmSeattle: Police say one suspect has been arrested and they are searching for another following a shooting on Sunday (Seattle time) at a popular food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle that killed three people.Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis said detectives did not have any description of the outstanding suspect. Investigators believe the two were shooting at each other and there was no ongoing threat to the public.A police officer on patrol after a shooting at Seattle Centre during the Bite of Seattle food festival.AP Photo/Lindsey WassonThe gunfire erupted at about 6pm in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Witnesses described a chaotic scene to the Seattle Times, with bursts of gunfire and masses of people running and taking cover.Three people died and four others, including a toddler, were wounded and were in stable condition at a hospital, officials said.They were all suffering gunshot wounds, the Seattle Times reported.A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area around the sprawling Seattle Centre events campus. Authorities have not said where exactly the shooting occurred at the event, which had outdoor and indoor areas.A police officer stands at a closed-off area after the shooting.AP Photo/Lindsey WassonWashington Governor Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings and State Patrol SWAT officers were deployed to assist local police.“My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Ferguson said in a statement.Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realised a shooter was near them.“We were right next to him when it started,” Hunter said, “so we took off running too into the building with the crowd.”She and others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum, Hunter said.In the chaos of the shooting, many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands. Hours afterwards, some milled outside the police tape, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food and cooking gear.Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.“Suddenly, everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over three days.AP Photo/Lindsey WassonAfter the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive unaware of what had happened and were told by police to leave, he said.Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said. That was when he heard gunshots, he said.“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop’, that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.Seattle police respond to the shooting.AP Photo/Lindsey WassonAfter he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink and community celebration”, according to its website.From our partners