Seattle, July 27:
A shooting killed two people and wounded five including a child on Sunday evening during a popular food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle, a city fire department spokesperson said.
The gunfire erupted around 6 pm in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Police were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown. Authorities did not immediately say if anyone was in custody.
Two people died at the scene, said Grace Nuñez, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department.
Five patients were transported to Harborview Medical Centre, including a 56-year-old woman in serious condition, Nunez said.
A 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman are in stable condition, while a 40-year-old woman had minor injuries, she said.
A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area around the sprawling Seattle Centre events campus. Authorities have not said where exactly the shooting occurred at the event, which had outdoor and indoor areas.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings and State Patrol SWAT officers were deployed to assist local police.
“My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Ferguson said in a statement.
Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realised a shooter was near them.
“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” Hunter said. “So we took off running too into the building with the crowd.”
She and others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum, Hunter said.
In the chaos of the shooting, many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands. Hours afterward, some milled outside the police tape, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food and cooking gear.
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.
“Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”
After the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive unaware of what had happened and were told by police to leave, he said.
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.
“Once I heard a pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.
After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to make photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.
The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration,” according to its website.