Seattle Center Shooting: Latest Updates on the Bite of Seattle Investigation

What We Know Now

Five days after a shooting at Seattle Center left three people dead, the case is still moving through court.

A 15-year-old suspect has been formally charged. A judge is now deciding whether he should be tried as an adult. Police are still looking for at least one more person they believe was involved. And new ballistics evidence has complicated what investigators originally thought happened.

Here’s where things stand.

What Happened at the Bite of Seattle Festival

The shooting broke out around 6 p.m. Sunday, July 26, near the Seattle Center Armory. Thousands of people were at the venue for Bite of Seattle, an annual food festival that has drawn crowds to Seattle Center since 1982.

Witnesses described a burst of gunfire, then chaos. People ran for cover. Some knocked down fencing to escape. Others sheltered in nearby businesses.

Police say at least two people, and possibly three, exchanged gunfire in the middle of the crowd. Investigators later recovered at least 13 shell casings and believe as many as four handguns were fired.

Seattle Center reopened to the public the next day.

Who Died in the Shooting

Three people were killed, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, were bystanders. Family members say Whitehead was waiting in line for cotton candy with her daughter and future son-in-law when she was struck.

The third person killed was Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19. Police believe he was one of the people exchanging gunfire, not a bystander. Officers gave him first aid at the scene, but he died there.

Injuries Reported

At least four other people were hurt, including a 2-year-old boy who was hospitalized. News outlets have reported the total injury count differently — some put the number of people wounded, beyond the three deaths, at four, others at five. Seattle police have not issued a single, final figure as of this writing.

Suspect Charged: What We Know About the 15-Year-Old

The teen taken into custody at the scene has not been publicly named. Most news organizations are withholding his identity because he’s a minor.

Charges Filed

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged him Wednesday, July 29, with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors say he fired multiple times into the crowd.

He was carrying a 9mm Polymer80 handgun — a “ghost gun,” meaning it was assembled from parts and has no serial number, making it difficult to trace. It had an extended magazine.

No one has been charged with homicide. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said that’s because the investigation is still open.

Ballistics Findings Complicate the Case

Court documents reviewed this week revealed a twist: Preliminary results from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab appear to rule out the teen’s gun as the weapon that killed Whitehead and Sanchez Villalba.

An SPD detective wrote in a report that the findings “appear to exclude” his handgun from those two deaths. That leaves open the question of whose gun did kill the two bystanders — a question investigators have not yet answered publicly.

Search Continues for a Third Suspect

Police believe someone else was involved in the gunfire and remains unidentified.

One witness told investigators the first shots came from an unidentified man in a light-colored shirt, who then ran off. Police have said conflicting witness accounts have made it difficult to pin down exactly how many people were involved before releasing a public description.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance and body camera footage as part of that effort. Anyone with information has been asked to call the Seattle Police Department’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

What’s Next: The Decline Hearing

A judge has been holding what’s known as a decline hearing, which began Thursday, July 30. It will determine whether the 15-year-old’s case moves out of juvenile court and into adult court.

Under Washington law, younger teens facing serious charges can only be tried as adults if a judge agrees to transfer jurisdiction. A judge weighs factors including the seriousness of the offense, the teen’s maturity and any prior legal history.

The process is expected to take months. The teen remains in secure juvenile detention in the meantime, and a judge has ordered him to have no contact with the victims, their families or the Seattle Center campus.

Official Statements

Seattle police have described the shooting as targeted and likely gang-related, though they haven’t released a specific motive. Officials have said they don’t believe there’s an ongoing danger to the public.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson confirmed investigators believe at least two people exchanged gunfire outside the Armory. Her office initially said two suspects were in custody, then corrected that statement.

What Remains Unconfirmed

Several key details are still unknown. Police haven’t identified the third suspect. Investigators haven’t said whose gun killed the two bystanders. And the exact motive behind the gunfire hasn’t been made public beyond police describing it as likely gang-related.

Separate, unverified reports have circulated about a change in Seattle Police Department leadership tied to the response to the shooting. That claim has not been confirmed by the department or the mayor’s office, and it is not treated as fact here.

Conclusion

The Bite of Seattle shooting remains an open case five days after gunfire broke out at one of Seattle’s most-attended annual festivals. A 15-year-old faces assault and firearm charges while a judge decides whether he’ll be tried as an adult, but ballistics evidence means the gun that killed two bystanders still hasn’t been identified. Police are still searching for at least one more suspect. As the investigation and decline hearing move forward, USA Times Square will update this seattle shooting coverage with confirmed developments as they become available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the Seattle Center shooting?

A shootout broke out around 6 p.m. on July 26, 2026, during the Bite of Seattle festival, killing three people and injuring several others.

How many people died in the Seattle Center shooting?

Three people died: Ashley Whitehead, 56; Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19.

Has a suspect been arrested?

A 15-year-old was taken into custody at the scene and has been charged with first-degree assault and unlawful firearm possession.

Will the teen suspect be tried as an adult?

Prosecutors requested a decline hearing, which began July 30, to determine whether the case moves to adult court. That process could take months.

Is a suspect still at large?

Yes. Police are searching for at least one additional, unidentified suspect believed to have taken part in the gunfire.

Was the shooting gang-related?

Police have described it as likely gang-related and targeted, though full details of the motive haven’t been released.

What weapon did the suspect have?

The teen was carrying a 9mm Polymer80 “ghost gun,” an untraceable, self-assembled firearm with an extended magazine.

Did the suspect’s gun kill the two bystanders?

No. Preliminary ballistics results exclude his firearm as the weapon that killed Whitehead and Sanchez Villalba, according to court documents.

Follow USA Times Square for continuing coverage of the Seattle Center shooting investigation, including updates on the decline hearing and the search for the third suspect.