At least four people, including a child, wounded by gunfire at a Seattle festival, hospital says

Seattle: At least four people, including a child, were wounded in a shooting on Sunday night (Seattle time) at an events complex close to the Space Needle in Seattle, a hospital spokesperson said.

Police were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area.

Harborview Medical Centre spokesperson Susan Gregg said the hospital admitted four victims, including a toddler, a 23-year-old man and two adult women.

One patient was in critical condition, she said.

The Seattle Centre was hosting the Bite of Seattle food festival over the weekend. A large number of police and emergency crews responded around 6pm and began evacuating the area.

Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.

“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.

“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop’, that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.

After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.

The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration”, according to its website.

AP