Two people were killed and five others injured in shooting incident at food festival in Seattle, police say

Two people were killed and five others were injured in a shooting incident on Sunday evening during a food festival at an events complex in Seattle, Washington, according to a spokesperson at the city’s fire department.

Police said they were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown Seattle.

Gunfire was reported around 6 pm local time at the Seattle Center during the ‘Bite of Seattle’ festival.

Harborview Medical Center, a medical facility near where the event was taking place, said the hospital admitted four victims including a toddler, a 23-year-old man and two adult women. One patient was in critical condition, an official at the hospital noted.

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 and pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” said Wakonabo, 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 capture photos to report to authorities, and saw multiple victims on the ground.

A large number of police and emergency crews were mobilised after initial reports flooded in early in the evening and began escorting and evacuating attendees to safety.

The Seattle Center was hosting the 42nd edition of its largest free-admissions festival over the weekend. The annual event started in 1982 and draws more than 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration,” according to its website.