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JULY 29, 2026
Police now believe at least three people exchanged gunfire during the Bite of Seattle; one suspected shooter died and another remains unidentified
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hree people were killed and four others wounded when gunfire erupted outside the Seattle Center Armory during the final evening of the Bite of Seattle. Seattle officials initially reported that two people exchanged gunfire at approximately 6 p.m. Sunday, July 26. During a Monday briefing, Mayor Katie Wilson and Seattle police said investigators now believe at least three people fired weapons in the crowded public space. A 15-year-old boy was detained following the shooting and booked into juvenile detention for investigation of first-degree assault and firearms violations. Police believe a 19-year-old man who died at the scene was also involved in the gunfire and was acquainted with the teenager. Investigators are searching for at least one additional unidentified shooter. Police said the shooting may have resulted from a gang-related confrontation rather than an indiscriminate attack on festival attendees. Authorities emphasized there was no ongoing danger to the public. A 44-year-old man also died at the scene. A 56-year-old woman later died at Harborview Medical Center. Four other people were struck by gunfire. They included a 2-year-old boy, a 23-yearold man and a 39-year-old woman. Another wounded person independently sought treatment at UW Medical Center. Officials said Monday that three of the surviving victims had been released from hospitals. The toddler remained hospitalized in satisfactory condition. The gunfire triggered panic across the crowded festival grounds. People who identified themselves publicly as attendees described crowds running in multiple directions as families searched for safety. Some reported seeing people fall or being knocked down or trampled in the rush to escape. It was not immediately known whether anyone required hospital treatment for injuries sustained while fleeing. Officers already assigned to the festival heard the shots and responded within seconds. Police recovered two firearms and took the 15-year-old into custody. “Our officers were there within seconds,” Acting Police Chief Tyrone Davis said following the shooting. “They performed emergency aid to the wounded until the Seattle Fire Department was on scene.” Detectives with the Seattle Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Gun Violence Reduction Unit are leading the investigation with assistance from the FBI, Washington State Patrol and other agencies. The violence brought a sudden and chaotic end to the three-day food and
SEATTLE CENTER, 3
Magnolia Summerfest Returns With Music, Parade and New Crowd Rules Staff Report
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agnolia Summerfest returns July 31 through Aug. 2, bringing three days of live music, food, family activities, vendors and one of the neighborhood’s biggest annual traditions back to Magnolia Playfield. This year, organizers are asking visitors to take note of two changes to the festival’s community code of conduct. The rule changes are intended to keep the playfield safer, more accessible and more welcoming for the large crowds expected throughout the weekend. Organizers say personal pop-up tents have become increasingly common in recent years, with some groups setting up chairs, tables, food and drinks in ways that resemble private tailgates inside the public festival space. While that may seem harmless to the people who arrive early and claim a spot, organizers say it limits shared space at an event that already has thousands of people
moving through a small area filled with performances, vendors, children’s activities and community programming. Visitors are still encouraged to bring chairs and picnic blankets. The festival will also offer “Share the Shade” tents
to help provide shaded gathering areas without turning large sections of the playfield into private camps. Organizers note that fire marshal rules require tents to have enough space between them for
safe evacuation, and that clusters of tents are prohibited. They also cited concerns about alcohol being served and consumed openly in private tent
SUMMERFEST, 3
The Blue Angels Are Back: Where to Watch Seattle’s Loudest Summer Tradition
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or one long summer weekend, Seattle becomes a city of people looking up. The Blue Angels return to the Seafair Air Show July 31 through Aug. 2, with practice runs scheduled July 30. The jets are expected to perform over Lake Washington Friday, Saturday and Sunday, following demonstrations and hydroplane racing centered around Genesee Park. Lake Washington is the heart of the action, but the roar will carry well beyond the official festival grounds. People hear the Blue Angels before they see them. Conversations pause. Phones come out. Everyone suddenly becomes an aviation photographer with no training and a deeply optimistic zoom setting. The official Seafair Weekend Festival viewing area is at Genesee Park, where ticketed guests can watch the air show, hydroplanes and festival programming from the center of the action. It is the best choice for anyone who wants the full Seafair experience, complete with food, crowds and grandstand energy. Buy tickets in advance, plan around traffic and consider transit or shuttle options. For free public viewing, the strongest options remain along Lake Washington. Seward Park offers
How to get better Blue Angels photos
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DIXIN YAN, OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF SEATTLE SEAFAIR
Teen detained after Seattle Center shooting kills three
VOL. 107, NO. 31
big-water views, walking paths and one of the most classic Seattle settings for the show. It can get busy, so arrive early and treat the day like a park outing, not a quick stop. Madrona Park is another practical choice, with
shoreline views, restrooms and room for families to spend a full afternoon outside before the jets arrive. Farther north, Madison Park Beach offers an open lake view, a neighborhood gathering spot and
BLUE ANGELS, 3
f you are using a nicer camera, do the boring checks first. Charge the battery, clear space on the memory card and, yes, remove the lens cap. Nothing humbles a DSLR owner faster than a once-in-asummer flyover and a very expensive photo of darkness. Use burst mode. Jets move faster than your thumb. Hold the shutter down and sort through the best frames later. Start wider than you think. It is easier to crop a good wide shot than to find a jet that already left your zoomed-in frame. Track before you shoot. Follow the plane for a second before pressing the shutter. Your camera will have a better chance of keeping focus. Watch the smoke trails. The white trails help show movement and make the photo feel less like a blue sky with a tiny aircraft somewhere in it. Include Seattle. A shot with the lake, skyline, trees, Space Needle, dock or people looking up will feel more local than a close-up of a jet that could have been taken anywhere. Mix it up. You got a cool picture of the Blue Angels flying in front of Mount Rainier? Try shooting with different perspectives and backgroundsyou might find the picture you like the most is the one you didn’t plan. Protect your ears, then your shot. The best photo is not worth startling a child, stressing a dog or stepping backward into someone’s picnic.