'People were pushing, baby strollers falling': Bite of Seattle Festival-goers recount chaos after shooting leaves 2 dead; watch video

Two people were killed and five others injured after a shooting broke out on Sunday evening during the popular Bite of Seattle food festival near the city's iconic Space Needle.

The shooting took place around 6 pm at Seattle Center, where the annual food festival was underway. Police launched an investigation and asked people to avoid the area.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said two people had been taken into custody. Police did not immediately confirm whether more suspects were involved or reveal a possible motive behind the attack.


Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Grace Nunez said two people died at the scene, while five others were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

Harborview Medical Center spokesperson Susan Gregg said four victims were admitted to the hospital, including a toddler, a 23-year-old man and two adult women. One patient was in critical condition.

'Shooting! Shooting!': Panic at Seattle food festival

The Bite of Seattle festival had attracted thousands of visitors, with food stalls and entertainment spread across the Seattle Center complex when gunfire erupted.

A livestream from food vendor Hawaiian Honey Cones captured the initial moments of the shooting and the panic that followed.

"Shooting! Shooting!" a man was heard shouting.

Seconds later, another voice yelled, "Get down, get down, get down," as crowds rushed to escape.

Videos shared on social media showed people jumping over fences, running for safety and taking shelter inside the Space Needle's lobby.

Images from the scene showed a heavy police presence, with several emergency vehicles and officers in tactical gear responding to the shooting.

Witnesses describe chaos after gunfire

Festival-goers described scenes of panic as people ran in different directions after the shooting.

Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just bought food from a crepe vendor when the gunfire began.

"We were right next to him when it started so we took off running," Hunter said, according to the Associated Press.

Another attendee, Estan Wakonabo, said he was waiting with his girlfriend at a photo booth when people suddenly started rushing past them.

"People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling," Wakonabo said. "Once I heard a 'pop, pop, pop,' that's when I knew it was a shooter," he added.

Wakonabo said he helped his girlfriend reach safety before returning to the area, where he saw several victims lying on the ground.

Paul Skinner, 47, who runs a Filipino food stall at the festival, told The Seattle Times he initially thought the sound was fireworks.

"I just heard what sounded like what were some pretty loud fireworks at first," he said. "Then, the energy changed. Mobs of people started flooding back down. I just told our staff to get down," he added.

Another witness, Todd Behrends, 59, said he heard multiple rounds of gunfire before panic spread through the crowd. He said people began running and jumping over each other to escape.

Behrends said he saw a woman who had fallen after someone stepped on her leg. As he moved towards an exit, he also saw a woman lying on the ground and a man being taken away on a stretcher.

Another witness told local media, "I heard bang, bang, bang, and then people started screaming."

Police investigate shooting

The Seattle Police Department confirmed the incident in a post on X.

"Police are investigating a shooting. Multiple shooting victims. Shots fired at the Seattle Center. More information to come. Please avoid the area," it said.

The Bite of Seattle, first held in 1982, is one of the city's biggest annual events, attracting around 350,000 visitors over three days with food, drinks and community celebrations.