Police identified a 15-year-old and a 19-year-old as gunmen behind the deadly shooting that turned a Seattle food festival into a chaotic nightmare on Sunday. Authorities also said they are looking for “a third possible suspect” in the shooting.
The two teens opened fire in a large crowd that included young children, resulting in the death of 19-year-old gunman Junior Cee Niko Semo, who was hit by multiple rounds of gunfire, according to the medical examiner. Two other people were also shot and killed: Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44. Four people, including a 2-year-old boy, were wounded in the shooting.
Police believe the deadly shooting could be gang-related and that the two teenagers were “associates.” The 15-year-old has not been named by authorities and is currently being held in juvenile detention.
Shots rang out at around 6:00 p.m. PT at the Bite of Seattle food festival, an annual free weekend-long event that typically attracts 350,000 people. When police arrived on the scene, two people were seen shooting at each other and officers immediately sought to chase down the suspects while other officers provided first aid to the wounded, according to the Seattle Police Department.
One suspect was taken into custody “within seconds,” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said on Monday evening.
Three of the shooting victims were found in the direction where the 15-year-old suspect is believed to have fired, including the toddler who was with his mother when he was struck by gunfire, according to court documents, NBC News reported. The toddler is currently in stable condition and recovering well.
After the shooting, Seattle authorities have faced criticism over the city’s response to the shooting and have gotten into heated exchanges with reporters. City officials are facing questions over why they waited nearly five hours to provide an update on the shooting, especially considering one of the gunmen was at-large.
Leftist mayor opened her press conference on Sunday with a discussion on “gun violence,” arguing that the city and the country have “a lot of work to do … to make this better.”
A reporter chimed in shortly into the mayor’s spiel, asking her to get to the information on the shooting. “I get your passion, mayor, but we need to know what happened tonight, please.”
Then, on Monday, a reporter asked Shon Barnes why he wasn’t in the city on Sunday night when the shooting occurred. The city’s assistant police chief handled the immediate response and the initial press briefing on Sunday night.
“I don’t have to tell you where I go,” Barnes told a KOMO News reporter. “I have a medical procedure I gotta do on Friday. … You need to know this: I have been here working as hard as I can for this city from the day I got here. You got that?”
“There are reports that you are out of town often,” the reporter pressed.
“Their reports are wrong, you understand?” the chief shot back as another man stepped in between him and the reporter.