’I just kept running: Two people killed in deadly shooting at US food festival
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Two people have been killed and several more injured in a shooting at a food festival in Seattle, on the US west coast.
The shooting happened a block from the city’s iconic Space Needle, fire officials said, on Sunday night local time (Monday AEST).
Two people have been killed in a shooting in Seattle. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
The Seattle Fire Department said it responded to reports of a shooting at the Seattle Centre just after 6pm.
The shooting happened at the annual Bite of Seattle festival, which featured hundreds of local vendors and live music performances.
Two people were declared dead at the scene and four others, including a two-year-old child, were rushed to hospital, the department said in a statement.
One of the injured is in a critical condition.
“Please avoid the area,” local police said in a post on X.
One suspect was taken into custody by Seattle police, Mayor Katie Wilson said in a statement.
Wilson had earlier said two people were in custody, but she later updated her statement.
Witnesses reported hearing “seven to eight shots” inside the venue, adding people were running “everywhere”.
One man said people thought it was fire crackers.
“There was one volley which we heard, and I don’t know, multiple shots, but I can’t say how many, and then a lot of people didn’t react at first because we thought, ’oh, it must be firecrackers or something,” Mark Taylor-Canfield told CNN.
Seattle police responded to the attack. Lindsey Wasson
“Nobody thought that it was that dangerous, but then there was a second volley, and that’s when we saw people storming through the area across the Fisher Pavilion lawn trying to get south and get out of the area.”
Andrew, who works at the Centre, said there were shouts of “run” and “active shooter.”
“I saw families, kids, everyone just like running out of the out of the fair, and he had told me like just run, just run, active shooter, someone was yelling active shooter,” another man said.
Stalls were left abandoned after the shooting. Lindsey Wasson
“I jumped the fence quickly and I ran. I just kept running.”
Harborview Medical Centre, one of the city’s major hospital, said all patients suffered gunshot wounds and one woman is in critical condition.
It added the four patients have suffered various injuries, including to the arm, leg, abdomen and lower leg.
Videos shared on social media showed crowds of people walking through aisles of vendors outside before gunshots prompted people to flee.
The free event attracts large crowds every year. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Some people appeared to take shelter in the gift shop of the Space Needle at the Seattle Centre, video shared with CNN showed.
Police, emergency responders and officers from several agencies, including the FBI, were at the scene afterwards, video showed.
The mayor called the shooting “an act of horrific violence” and said the community “is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire.”
“In the days ahead, we will establish what happened and be transparent with the public about what we have learned,” Wilson wrote.
The shooting was labelled “an act of horrific violence”. Lindsey Wasson
“Tonight, our attention belongs to the people whose lives were taken, those fighting to recover, and the families beside them.”
The Seattle Centre describes itself as a civic, arts and family grounds space that attracts more than 12 million visitors each year for events across its campus, which includes the Space Needle and the city’s largest arena.
The free Bite of Seattle event attracts thousands of people and had been running since Friday.
The event page says on Facebook it is “where food meets community since 1982”.
It draws 350,000 guests over three days, its website says.
– with CNN
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