People leave the scene Sunday night after a fatal shooting during the Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center. Three people were killed and four others were injured in the shooting, according to the Seattle Police Department. Police arrested a 15-year-old in connection with the shooting Monday. Photo by Genna Martin/EPA
July 27 (UPI) — Seattle police are looking for a possible third gunman in a shootout Sunday that left three people dead and at least four others injured.
At least two people exchanged gunfire at the annual Bite of Seattle food festival at the Space Needle, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a press conference Monday. One of them is believed to be a 15-year-old boy that the police arrested Monday, and another was a 19-year-old man who died at the festival.
“Police continue to look for a third possible suspect,” Wilson said.
The mayor said the 15-year-old waived an initial appearance in court Monday and remains in custody. Investigators are reviewing bullet casings, viewing raw camera footage, interviewing people and following up on tips, Wilson said.
The 15-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of firearms violations and first-degree assault. Wilson said that no one has yet been arrested on suspicion of homicide, KING-TV of Seattle reported.
Court documents also show that police believe there may be a third shooter, BBC News reported.
On Monday, the King County medical examiner released the names of the three people who died in the shooting: Junior Cee Semo, 19; Carlos Villalba, 44; and Ashley Whitehead, 56.
Police believe Semo was the second gunman in the shootout. He and Villalba died at the scene Sunday, while Whitehead died later at a hospital, KING-TV reported.
Three others who were injured in the shooting have been released from the hospital, while a 2-year-old boy remains in the hospital in satisfactory condition.
At Monday’s press conference, Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said that the shooting may have been “gang related” but cautioned that police are not sure of that. She said the 15-year-old suspect and 19-year-old who died in the shooting are believed to be “associated with each other.”
Thousands of people were at the festival Sunday when the shootings occurred. It was the final day of the event, which draws about 350,000 people a year.