As RedState reported, there was a mass shooting on Sunday at the Bite of Seattle food festival, where two people in the Seattle Center (near the Space Needle) were killed. Four others, including a 2-year-old toddler, were injured.
Initially, law enforcement indicated there were two shooters whom they believed were shooting at each other. But in a Monday update, it was revealed that there are three suspects, one of whom is dead. One of the three suspects, a 15-year-old, is in custody, while the third remains at large. The name of the deceased alleged suspect is Junior Cee Niko Semo, who was 19.
Semo, according to investigators, is believed to be "one of at least two people who exchanged gunfire."
READ MORE: Seattle Reels From Triple Homicide As $360K Police Chief Hides Out in Chicago
Something else we learned from that afternoon presser was that authorities believe what happened was "gang-related":
In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case waived his initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters, rather than two: the 15-year-old, an acquaintance who died at the scene and “at least one other unknown suspect.”
Nicole Powell, the Seattle Police Department’s assistant chief of investigations, told a news conference Monday afternoon that investigators believe the shooting may have been gang-related, with two groups firing at each other. The deceased shooter was 19.
A judge ordered the 15-year-old held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault.
Investigative journalist Jonathan Choe shared that his sources told him it was "a targeted gang hit on an alleged member of the Grimez Gangster Gorillaz":
NEW: Sources say the Seattle Center mass shooting on Sunday was actually a targeted gang hit on an alleged member of the
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) July 27, 2026
Grimez Gangster Gorillaz. They’re based in South Seattle.
The young man killed went by “Juni. His crew is pictured is these photos. #seattle https://t.co/nn6uRGUyvG pic.twitter.com/PD9DXpgMiv
I think it's safe to say that based on this information, the mass shooting is going to be fading from the headlines pretty soon.
As we also reported, there was a different kind of chaos among city officials on Sunday, including Seattle's socialist mayor Katie Wilson, who initially gave out wrong information about the number of suspects arrested. Police Chief Shon Barnes didn't attend any of the Sunday briefings, as he was allegedly at a police conference in Dallas.
Tensions boiled over on Monday to the extent that Wilson apparently had to "bench" Barnes:
NEW: Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes did not like being called out for not being in Seattle during major incidents like last night's shooting at the Space Needle
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) July 27, 2026
pic.twitter.com/wfFhXeT3q1
Note: Nicole Powell, Assistant Chief of Investigations, is pictured in the photo below:
NEW: After Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes got called out for living in a different city, lost his cool on a reporter, and had to be dragged away, Mayor Katie Wilson benched him for the afternoon presser on the Space Needle shooting https://t.co/mLMmYYWnuG pic.twitter.com/3O5Uv5IqJh
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) July 27, 2026
HAPPENING NOW: After facing enormous pressure for better communications, socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson held a second press conference on Monday to brief the media about the Seattle Center mass shooting.
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) July 27, 2026
Watch the exchange between frustrated reporters and city leaders. https://t.co/QcFgEONuOc pic.twitter.com/4gNjIteXzL
What a cluster.
The names of the two victims who died are Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56. The injured victims who received treatment have been released from the hospital and, thankfully, "are recovering," according to KOMO News.
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