Three people have been killed and several others injured following a shooting at a food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle on Sunday.
Police said there were two suspects who were shooting at each other. One of the suspects is in custody and the other still at large, although officials have said there is no threat to public.
Shots rang out at around 18:00 local time (01:00 GMT) at one of the city’s most popular tourist spots and as the annual Bite of Seattle food festival drew even more people to the downtown area.
Two deaths were confirmed at the scene, and one person died later in hospital. Those injured include a two-year-old boy, officials said.
Videos shared online showed people taking shelter inside the city’s iconic Space Needle.
People could be seen crouched on the ground, taking cover behind pillars and shelves of merchandise in the Space Needle’s lobby during the shooting.
Faith Adia Hunter told Associated Press that one of the shooters was near her and her friends when they heard the shots, sending them fleeing for shelter in the Seattle Children’s Museum.
“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” she said. “So we took off running too into the building with the crowd.”
The Seattle Police Department said an investigation remains ongoing and urged the public to avoid the area.
Mayor Katie Wilson said in a statement that she wanted to “thank the Seattle police officers who responded to the scene and took a suspect into custody”.
She had originally announced two suspects had been taken into custody before updating her statement later on Sunday evening.
Four of the injured were taken to hospital in a stable condition, while a fifth chose not to, the fire department said.
Representatives for Seattle and Washington state have condemned the shooting as an act of “senseless violence”.
“My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said on social media.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents Seattle, added: “Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this senseless violence,” she wrote on social media.
“We are in close touch with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Governor Bob Ferguson, and co-ordinating across multiple levels of government to get updates on the situation.”
Wilson also condemned the shooting as an “act of horrific violence”.
“Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire.”
“Tonight, our attention belongs to the people whose lives were taken, those fighting to recover, and the families beside them,” she added.
“Seattle grieves with you, and we will stand with you in the difficult days ahead.”
By BBC News
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