Teen arrested after Seattle festival shooting was using a ghost gun with extended magazine
Police said the 15-year-old suspect at the Bite of Seattle festival was armed with a 9 mm ghost gun from Polymer80 and an extended 33-round magazine; three people were killed and four injured in the incident.
Police identified the 15-year-old arrested after the shooting at Seattle’s Bite of Seattle food festival as having used a 9 mm ghost gun manufactured by the now-defunct Polymer80 company, equipped with a 33-round extended magazine. The weapon, which lacked a serial number, still contained 19 rounds when the teen surrendered.
"The weapon was a 9 mm gun from Polymer80 with an extended 33-round magazine," Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters.
Investigators also recovered a second 9 mm handgun that they do not believe was used, and a Glock 45 with a switch for fully automatic fire and a 40-round magazine, which police say was fired during the attack. In total, 14 shell casings from two different calibers were found at the scene.
The shooting, which occurred in the final hours of the three-day festival near the Space Needle, left three victims dead—including the 19-year-old gunman—and injured at least four others, among them a toddler. Authorities suspect the violence was gang-related and are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses.
A juvenile court filing indicated police believe at least three shooters were involved: the 15-year-old, an acquaintance who died at the scene, and another unidentified suspect. A judge ordered the teen to remain in juvenile detention pending further hearings on assault and firearms charges.
The King County Medical Examiner identified the deceased as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; Ashley Whitehead, 56; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19. Hospital officials said the four injured— a 2-year-old boy, two men aged 23 and 27, and a 39-year-old woman—were discharged after treatment.