SEATTLE — One month after a deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle left three people dead and sent thousands of festival-goers running for safety, investigators are still working to identify a possible third shooter connected to the gunfire.
The shooting erupted during the annual Seattle Center event, turning what began as a family-friendly summer festival into a chaotic crime scene.
Authorities identified two of the victims as 44-year-old Carlos Sanchez-Villalba and 56-year-old Ashley Whitehead. A third person who died, 19-year-old Junior Niko Semo, was later identified by police as one of the suspected shooters.
According to court documents, Semo and a 15-year-old suspect knew each other and exchanged gunfire with another individual who has not yet been identified.
Seattle Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles said investigators continue to review evidence as they work to determine whether another suspect remains at large.
While the gunfire lasted only moments, King County officials say the emotional and psychological impact can linger much longer for victims, witnesses and families affected by the violence.
In the aftermath of the shooting, King County prepared for a potential spike in calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and mobilized crisis response resources.
Dr. Susan McLaughlin, director of King County’s Department of Community and Human Services, said the county’s Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams play a critical role in helping people experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
“Our mobile rapid response crisis teams are a team of mental health professionals who will come directly out to an individual when they’re in crisis,” McLaughlin said.
The county also deployed additional support services following the shooting, including the YMCA’s violence prevention team.
“We also did have the YMCA’s violence prevention team respond in person to support victims and their families and friends,” McLaughlin said.
County leaders recently invested more than $2 million to expand the mobile crisis-response program, which aims to connect people with mental health care while reducing the need for law enforcement involvement in many behavioral health situations.
“In actually the majority of crisis situations, a law enforcement response really is not necessary,” McLaughlin said. “Having a behavioral health clinician, a peer support specialist, is really the heart of our mobile rapid response model.”
The shooting’s impact also brought major changes at Seattle City Hall. Following the incident, Mayor Katie Wilson asked then Police Chief Shon Barnes to resign. Afterward, Sayles appointed interim chief.
The city has also faced criticism over a nearly five-hour delay before a public safety briefing was held after the shooting. An independent review examining both the emergency response and communication delays is underway, with findings expected later this fall.
Meanwhile, Seattle police homicide detectives continue to investigate the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Seattle Police Department tip line or submit photos and videos that could assist investigators.