2 dead, 5 injured in Seattle Center shooting during Bite of Seattle event

Two people were killed and another five were injured in a shooting at Seattle Center Sunday evening, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) confirmed with KIRO Newsradio.

SPD officers arrived at the scene just after 6 p.m. and have cleared the area. Several people in the area at the time of the shooting were sheltered at the Seattle Armory. Multiple shooters were reported to be involved.

According to Harborview Medical Center, four victims suffered gunshot wounds. One victim, an adult woman, is in surgery and is in critical condition, as of this reporting. The other patients — a 23-year-old male, a 39-year-old female, and a child —are in satisfactory condition.

“The range of injuries for the four patients involves the arm, leg, abdomen, and lower leg,” Susan Gregg, the director of media relations for UW Medicine, told KIRO Newsradio.

One person injured from the shooting did not go to Harborview Medical Center, according to KIRO 7.

The Bite of Seattle event was taking place at the Seattle Center during the shooting. Bite of Seattle, the largest free-admission food event in Washington, was scheduled to occur from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

“I heard like four shots, and then people yelling, running, screaming, and I was like, ‘Oh damn, what’s going on?'” Isaiah, an 18-year-old employee running carnival games at the Bite of Seattle event, told KIRO Newsradio. “I was like, ‘Hey, run, [Andrew], cause someone’s shooting,’ and then we both hopped the fence.

“I told him to run. He ran. I stayed back because I saw people struggling trying to hop over the fence,” Isaiah continued. “So I just started grabbing kids — kids, men, women, everyone — I just started helping them. I was just tossing kids over left and right, left and right until there was no one there. And then I just took off.”

More than 350,000 people were expected to attend the three-day event.

“Once I ran like a block, the police were already on their way here, but there were still so many families, people coming to the Bite of Seattle,” Andrew, another Bite of Seattle employee, said. “I was just telling everyone, ‘Don’t go! Don’t go! It’s not safe. There’s an active shooter. This is not a joke.'”

The Seattle Center Monorail will be closed for the remainder of the day. Operations will resume by 7:30 a.m. Monday.

“We were out grabbing a little bite to eat, and the next thing you know, our phone just started blowing up. It was our son texting just rapid fire, letting us know that there was a shooting,” KIRO Newsradio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan said. “He and his girlfriend and their friends were all down at the Bite. They weren’t close enough to actually hear the shooting, but they were in the area, and they, like everybody else, just took off trying to do what they needed to do to get safe. Really hectic situation there at Seattle Center as shots rang out and people there enjoying the final day of the Bite left trying to scramble for their safety.”

Sullivan shared that his son and all of his friends are OK.

“I was about 25 feet south of one of the people that was shot,” Geoff, a Bite of Seattle attendee, told KIRO Newsradio. “So then, hundreds of people were running at me, and going southwest, and I went the opposite way to see if I could help because I do mountain rescue, and a person was shot, but somebody was attending to them. At the Seattle Center Pavilion thing, there was somebody lying on the ground who had been shot, and cops were just telling us to leave. I saw another person who was lying on the ground a little further north, closer to the fountain, along the walkway.”

Geoff described the shooting coming from a “machine gun kind of thing.” A Glock switch, a device that changes a regular semi-automatic handgun into one that is fully automatic, might have been involved in the shooting.

WA Governor, King County Executive issue statements on shooting

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson stated that the Washington State Patrol (WSP) SWAT team is on the way to assist SPD.

I’m receiving briefings regarding the ongoing response to the tragedy at the Seattle Center. The Washington State Patrol SWAT team is on the way to assist, at the request of the Seattle Police Department.

Please continue to avoid the area. If you are in the area, please follow…

— Governor Bob Ferguson (@GovBobFerguson) July 27, 2026

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay released a statement Sunday evening after the shooting broke out.

“I’m horrified by the shooting at Seattle Center this evening during the Bite of Seattle,” Zahilay wrote. “As someone who grew up in this community, I know what this event means to so many families, young people, and neighbors across our region. For years, the Bite has been one of Seattle’s signature summer traditions. To see violence at a place that brings so many people together is heartbreaking and unacceptable. My heart is with the victims and their loved ones, those who were senselessly injured, Seattle Center employees and vendors, and everyone who has been traumatized by the experience. I am also grateful for the first responders who rushed in to protect others and care for the injured.”

A KIRO Newsradio reporter is at the scene waiting for the briefing from SPD.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: Jillian Raftery, KIRO Newsradio

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