(VIDEO) Three Dead, Several Wounded in Shooting at Seattle Food Festival Near the Space Needle Sunday Evening

SEATTLE — Three people were killed and at least four others were injured when gunfire erupted Sunday evening at Seattle Center during the city's annual Bite of Seattle food festival, sending panicked attendees, including families with young children, fleeing toward the shelter of the nearby Space Needle.

A chaotic scene at a beloved civic landmark

The Seattle Fire Department said it responded to reports of a shooting just after 6 p.m. local time at Seattle Center, the civic complex that has anchored the city's cultural life since the 1962 World's Fair and includes the Space Needle, the Seattle Center Monorail and Climate Pledge Arena, home to the Seattle Kraken and Seattle Storm. The complex was hosting the three-day Bite of Seattle festival, an annual food and beverage event that organizers say typically draws several hundred thousand attendees over its run.

Fire department spokesperson Grace Nuñez said first responders arrived shortly after 6 p.m. and attempted life-saving efforts on two patients, but were unsuccessful. A third victim later died, police said during a late Sunday briefing, bringing the confirmed death toll to three. Four other people were transported to Harborview Medical Center, the region's top-level trauma center, according to hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg. Those injured included a 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, all reported in stable or satisfactory condition, along with a 56-year-old woman who was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. A fifth person with minor injuries declined to be taken to the hospital, fire officials said.

Video shows crowds sheltering inside the Space Needle

Footage shared online in the aftermath of the shooting showed festivalgoers crouched on the ground inside the Space Needle's lobby, taking cover behind pillars and merchandise displays as the chaos unfolded outside. Eyewitnesses described a scene of confusion and fear as the gunfire broke out. Recounting the moment, one attendee, Nick Bate, told local media that the sound initially seemed harmless. "At first, thought there were fireworks, and then everybody flooded and ran past us," Bate said, describing the panicked rush that followed as people realized what was happening.

One suspect in custody after initial confusion

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said in a statement that police had taken one suspect into custody following the shooting. Wilson had initially indicated that two people were in custody, but later corrected her statement to confirm that only one suspect had been apprehended. The Seattle Police Department said its investigation remained active into Sunday night and urged members of the public to avoid the area while officers continued working the scene.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said several of its agents were present at the scene Sunday night, though the Seattle Police Department was leading the investigation. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the state's SWAT team was also dispatched to the area at the request of Seattle police.

Officials condemn the violence

Wilson thanked the officers who responded to the shooting and took the suspect into custody, while offering a somber assessment of the toll on the community. "Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives," Wilson said, describing an entire community grappling with how a gathering meant to celebrate culture and connection had ended in gunfire. She added that Seattle would stand with the victims and their families in what she called the difficult days ahead.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson also issued a statement condemning the shooting, writing on social media that his prayers were with the families of the victims and with the first responders working to keep the public safe. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents Seattle in Congress, echoed those sentiments, writing that her heart went out to everyone affected by what she called an act of senseless violence, and confirming her office was coordinating with city and state officials as the situation developed.

A somber marker atop the city's most recognizable landmark

In a visible sign of the city's mourning, the American flag flying atop the Space Needle was lowered to half-staff following the shooting, a tribute to the victims that was visible across much of the Seattle skyline into the evening.

A festival with deep roots in the city

The Bite of Seattle has been held at Seattle Center for decades, with organizers describing it as one of the city's largest food and beverage events, featuring hundreds of participating vendors and typically drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors over the festival's multi-day run each July. The event, first founded in 1982, has become a fixture of the city's summer calendar, and Sunday's shooting occurred during what was expected to be one of the festival's busiest and most celebratory weekends of the year.

Part of a broader pattern of public gathering violence

Sunday's shooting adds to a string of mass-casualty shootings at public gatherings across the United States in recent years, a pattern that has repeatedly raised questions about security at large outdoor festivals and civic events. Seattle Center itself has seen isolated shooting incidents in the past, though nothing on the scale of Sunday's violence, which unfolded in front of thousands of festivalgoers at one of the city's most heavily trafficked tourist destinations.

As of Sunday night, police had not released the identity of the suspect in custody, nor had they disclosed a possible motive for the shooting. The investigation remained active, with police continuing to ask the public to avoid the Seattle Center area as officers processed the scene. City and state officials indicated that additional updates would follow as the investigation progressed, while grief counselors and support resources were expected to be made available to festivalgoers, vendors and nearby residents affected by the violence in the days ahead.