Seattle festival shooting: bullets that killed bystanders not linked to teen's gun
Police say forensic testing shows the fatal bullets recovered at the Bite of Seattle festival were fired from a weapon other than the 15-year-old's ghost gun, while investigators continue to seek other shooters.
Police disclosed that bullets recovered from two victims killed during a shootout at Seattle's Bite of Seattle food festival did not match the untraceable ghost gun used by a 15-year-old arrested at the scene. The King County prosecutor's office has charged the teen with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and unlawful possession of a handgun by a minor.
Court documents indicate that four firearms were discharged during the incident, which also left a 19-year-old suspect dead. Authorities have not yet identified who fired the rounds that caused the bystander deaths.
The shooting, which occurred in the final hours of the three-day festival, resulted in three fatalities—including the 19-year-old gunman—and injured at least four people, among them a toddler. Police suspect gang involvement and are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses to locate additional participants.
Police Chief Shon Barnes said an eighth individual with a possible gunshot wound checked into a hospital but left before investigators could interview them, and legal constraints have blocked access to the patient’s identity.
Prosecutors have asked that the teen's case be transferred to adult court, where a conviction could carry an eight-to-10-year prison term plus a possible five-year firearm enhancement. Judges in Washington, however, retain discretion to sentence juveniles in juvenile facilities even if tried as adults.
If the case remains in juvenile court, the sentencing range would be two to two-and-a-half years, though it is unclear how the firearm enhancement would affect that term.