Police: Bullets that killed 2 bystanders at Seattle festival weren't
from teen shooter's gun
[July 30, 2026]
By GENE JOHNSON and HALLIE GOLDEN
SEATTLE (AP) — Preliminary testing showed the bullets that killed two
bystanders during a shootout at a crowded Seattle food festival last
weekend didn’t come from the gun a 15-year-old arrested at the scene was
seen firing, police said in court documents filed Wednesday.
The teen repeatedly shot an untraceable ghost gun into a crowd, police
said, and the King County prosecutor’s office filed charges of
first-degree assault with a firearm and unlawful possession of a
handgun.
In a statement supporting the charges, police said preliminary testing
of bullets recovered from the two bystanders killed showed they did not
match that weapon.
The shooting in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle festival near
the Space Needle left three people dead, including a 19-year-old
suspect, and at least four bystanders injured, including a toddler.
Police believe it was gang-related, and they continue searching for
others who might have been involved.
Police Chief Shon Barnes had previously said there was possibly another
person with a gunshot wound that investigators were looking to speak
with, but the department said Wednesday there was no eighth victim.
Testing on shell casings found at the scene suggest four weapons were
fired, the statement said. Police said they recovered three guns, but
only two of them had been fired, which means two weapons involved in the
gunbattle were not found at the scene. It isn’t clear which weapon or
weapons fired the bullets that hit the festival attendees.
Dozens of officers were at Seattle Center, a sprawling park, providing
security for the event, when the shooting began. Some heard the
gunshots, and one officer saw the 15-year-old firing, police said.
A witness told investigators that he heard gunshots and saw the people
around him duck, Detective Matt Blackburn wrote in the statement. The
witness saw a man in a light blue top who started running; the witness
believed that was where the first shots came from.
The witness reported that he then saw the 15-year-old unzip a bag that
was strapped around his torso and pull out a gun with an extended
magazine. The teen shot multiple times toward the other suspect,
Blackburn wrote. Two shell casings from the teen’s ghost gun were found
at the scene.
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Flowers and candles are seen placed with the Space Needle at
background, during the vigil for victims the day after a shooting at
Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday,
July 27, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The teen surrendered when confronted by an officer. As police
escorted him past the dead 19-year-old's body, he said, “Love you
bro,” Blackburn wrote.
Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to move the case to adult
court, a decision that can take months after the judge considers
arguments from both sides. The teen's public defender, Hong Tran,
said in an email Wednesday the teen would contest the effort to try
him as an adult.
If the teen is convicted as an adult, the charges would carry a
sentencing range of about eight to 10 years in prison, plus possibly
another five years for the firearm enhancement. However, judges in
Washington may also choose to sentence juveniles as juveniles even
if they are convicted in adult court.
In juvenile court, the charges would carry a sentencing range of two
to 2 1/2 years. It was not immediately clear whether the firearm
enhancement might add additional time in juvenile detention.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the dead
bystanders as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley
Whitehead, 56. The suspect killed was Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19.
Villalba was a husband and father of three known for his kindness
and willingness to help others, according to a GoFundMe campaign
launched Monday to help his family with funeral expenses.
Whitehead had just moved to Washington from Alabama a year ago and
was enjoying the festival with one of her adult daughters when she
was shot, her cousin Michelle Whitehead told The Associated Press.
She was taken to the hospital and died in surgery, she said.
The police department opened an online portal on Wednesday for the
public to share video and photos from the shooting.
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