Detectives are still working to track down everyone connected to a fatal shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday.
During a Tuesday news briefing, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes explained that differing accounts from witnesses have made it difficult to determine exact identities.
He assured the public that once investigators sort out those details, they will share descriptions of the suspect or suspects involved.
According to Barnes, the violence broke out when a targeted gang conflict escalated into gunfire that spread into the surrounding crowd, leaving two people dead and four others wounded.
He added that none of the six victims had any connection to the shooters.
Chief Barnes emphasized that the people caught in the crossfire were completely innocent victims of a meaningless act of violence.
Police currently have a 15-year-old in custody and another shooter died in the gunfire, but officers believe there may still be other suspects involved.
The deceased shooter was identified as 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, who investigators believe was tied to the teenager currently held in custody.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said on Monday that a third suspect might have been involved in the incident.
However, Chief Barnes reassured the community that the general public is not in danger, as the evidence indicates the shooting was a targeted attack rather than a random threat.
Here is a rephrased version that keeps the tone easy to read, uses no direct quotes, and breaks the details into clear, digestible paragraphs:
On Tuesday, police shared that a possible victim checked into the University of Washington with a suspected gunshot wound. However, laws prevent authorities from forcing the hospital to reveal their identity.
Because of this, detectives are urging the individual to contact them directly so they can conduct an interview.
While examining the crime scene, forensic teams collected 14 shell casings from two separate weapon calibers, according to Chief Barnes.
Police found three firearms at the scene, with evidence indicating that at least two of them were used in the shootout.
Barnes noted that one of the fired weapons, an untraceable ghost gun, was found on the 15-year-old suspect.
Officials said on Tuesday that detectives have already questioned all surviving victims alongside several witnesses, and they plan to conduct more interviews over the next few days.
Emergency crews were first called out to the Seattle Center around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. During a Monday briefing, Mayor Wilson clarified that authorities now know at least two individuals traded shots just outside the Seattle Center Armory.
According to Wilson, those two shooters were the teenager currently in custody and the 19-year-old who died.
Court documents show that officers actually detained the 19-year-old alongside the 15-year-old at the same time.
Legal filings from the teen’s detention hearing reveal that the pair got into a shootout with at least one other unidentified person, during which the 15-year-old allegedly shot straight into the crowd.
