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Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said police detained a 15-year-old suspect after a Sunday shooting in which three people were killed and others were wounded.

At least two people exchanged gunfire at the event, Wilson said in a news conference Monday afternoon. The second of those two people, age 19, is among the deceased, Wilson said.

Assistant Police Chief Nicole Powell said the two appear to have been associates. Officers are also looking for a possible third involved individual, Powell said. The Associated Press cited court documents to report that there were at least three shooters.

The shooting happened during the Bite of Seattle festival, a free event featuring food vendors, live music and a beer garden near the city’s iconic Space Needle just north of downtown. Police Chief Shon Barnes said earlier Monday police staffing was “adequate,” and vowed to bring “all of those who may be involved to justice.”

In addition to the two who died at the scene, a third died at the hospital, police said Sunday night. At least three other people were treated for gunshot wounds, including a toddler.

“The problem of gun violence is worsened by small groups — we have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other,” Barnes said. “The department alone cannot fix the issue of gun violence. We need the entire system, the entire community to come together to address this.”

Both Wilson and Barnes responded to pointed questions Monday morning after the mayor’s initial statement Sunday night erroneously said there were two suspects in custody and was corrected without explanation.

Reporters also voiced frustration that the first communication to media at the scene Sunday night was more than five hours after the shooting because Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis said officers were awaiting on the arrival of “dignitaries.”

Mayor Wilson, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal were with Davis when he eventually briefed reporters Sunday night shortly before 11 p.m. Wilson said they were advised to stay away from the scene until they were called for the press conference.

Local media again raised questions Monday afternoon after court documents filed during the day contained more information about the shooting than Wilson and police leaders disclosed in their morning briefing. Barnes didn’t attend the afternoon briefing.

The suspect in custody waived his right to appear in court Monday, according to the office of county prosecuting attorney. The police said the arrest was on investigation of unlawful gun possession and assault in the first degree involving three victims.

Barnes on Monday said he was in Texas at a policing conference over the weekend when the shooting occurred. He was also out of town in January when two teenagers were killed near Rainier Beach High School in what police later described as a targeted shooting.

There was conflicting information about whether security cameras were in use near the scene of the shooting. The cameras have been a contentious political issue for Wilson, who faced pressure from progressive advocates to turn off security cameras but opted to temporarily leave them on in the stadium district during last month’s FIFA World Cup games.

“The safety of the residents of Seattle is my highest responsibility and I take that very seriously in the course that we’ve charted on the CCTV cameras,” Wilson said Monday morning. “That means balancing various kinds of safety — safety for different communities.”

Top photo: Police officers walk on patrol at the scene of a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival on July 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. At least two people are dead and at least five are wounded after a mass shooting at the event at Seattle Center. Bloomberg.

Topics Law Enforcement