Bite of Seattle shooting victims identified as police investigate possible gang connection, gunman still at large

King County has released the names of the victims killed in a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle on Sunday, which left three dead and at least four people hurt, including a two-year-old boy.

Ashley Whitehead, 56, was killed by a gunshot wound to the pelvis. Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, was killed by a gunshot wound to the torso. Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, was killed by multiple gunshot wounds.

There will be a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the International Fountain at the Seattle Center.

Police believe shooting could be gang-related

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) believes the shooting could be tied to a gang.

“We believe this could be gang-related,” Nicole Powell, Assistant Chief of Investigations for SPD, said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “There were two groups firing in the area near the armory during the Bite of Seattle. We believe two of the individuals were associates with each other.”

At least three gunmen were involved in the shooting, court documents confirmed. Law enforcement believes the three engaged in a gunfight.

One shooter was killed at the scene, while a 15-year-old is in custody, and another gunman is on the loose. The shooter killed at the scene is believed to be an acquaintance of the 15-year-old, according to court documents.

The 15-year-old did not appear in court Monday, but the judge found probable cause for three counts of assault and unlawful possession of a gun, KIRO Newsradio confirmed. He has been ordered to be held in secure detention.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said prosecutors anticipate getting a case from Seattle police investigators by Wednesday afternoon for a charging decision.

McNerthney noted it takes five convictions before juveniles are sent to rehabilitation, and that the 15-year-old has not had any previous cases referred to the attorney’s office. He said for those 15 and younger, it’s up to a judge whether or not to move the case to adult court.

The U.S. flag flies at half-staff at the Space Needle as cleanup continues the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (Photo: Lindsey Wasson, AP)

Court documents: 15-year-old was allegedly seen firing handgun into crowd at Bite of Seattle

Court documents detailed the moments gunfire broke out at the Seattle Center.

A Seattle Police Department (SPD) sergeant was near the northwest section of the Bite of Seattle and heard gunshots coming from the west along with the east/west walkway lined with vendor booths, court documents stated.

He and other officers responded to the location and saw the 15-year-old standing on the north walkway, allegedly holding a handgun, and firing into the crowd.

The teen was taken into custody, and officers seized the handgun. At the same time, an associate of the 15-year-old was detained, but died at the scene from a gunshot wound.

Officers reportedly found three people wounded by gunfire in the direction the 15-year-old was firing. One was the two-year-old child who had been with his mother; in addition, two other victims were found. A fourth victim died at the scene.

A witness told police they saw the teen firing into a crowd of people, where four victims were standing by vendors and were struck by gunfire.

Authorities noted this is still an active investigation.

Seattle police chief confirms additional gunman on the loose

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed there was an additional gunman on the loose during a news conference Monday. Barnes asked the public for help in identifying any information that could lead to the second shooter’s arrest.

“Our officers need your help,” Barnes said during a news conference Monday. “If someone saw something, or perhaps if someone has some video, we need to identify that person. We do believe that there was an exchange of gunfire. We have one person in custody that our officers took into custody. We need to figure out who that other person is.”

Barnes said he understands the public’s anger about how the situation was handled, but believes the community needs to work together to combat gun violence.

“We understand that people are angry,” he said. “You should be. Everyone should be angry. But with that anger, you should also be asking yourself, ‘What can I do to prevent this?’ We have to start partnering together. We have to start working together on this issue of gun violence and getting information out and providing opportunities for people, so that things like this do not happen.”

Seattle leaders hold a news conference after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

‘Definitely unacceptable’: Barnes acknowledges Seattle shooting came days after incident-free World Cup

The shooting came just days after Seattle hosted a successful run of World Cup matches without a single major security incident.

“People who visited our amazing city were just coming off a very successful event with FIFA, where we had no incidents,” Barnes said. “And to have something like this this weekend is definitely unacceptable.”

He acknowledged that the department released inaccurate information in the rush to keep the public informed, but said officials will take steps to prevent it from happening again.

“We take our jobs very seriously, and so we want to get out information as early and as often as possible,” Barnes said. “It is unfortunate that sometimes, in any situation, early information is sometimes incorrect. But what do you do when that happens? You correct that information, and then you move forward. How do we get better? We get better by going back. We do after-action reviews, which we will do on this case, and we’ll try to ensure that the information is correct.”

Mayor Wilson addresses criticism over delayed response, says cameras are being reviewed

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson addressed the criticism over the late news conference, which came roughly five hours after the shooting, saying her office was caught between the need to inform the public quickly and the risk of putting out inaccurate information, which did occur in her office’s original statement.

“There’s a tension here between providing information quickly and providing information accurately,” she said. “So if we had been reporting up to the minute everything that we were hearing in the swirl that happened last night, there would have been a lot of inaccuracies out there that would have confused people and that we then would have had to correct. So we are managing this tension, and we are doing the best that we can to provide accurate information in a timely manner without increasing confusion.”

Wilson said the Seattle Center does have cameras and police are in the process of pulling footage to determine whether any of it captured the shooting or the second suspect.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.