15-Year-Old Ordered Held in Detention Over Seattle Food Festival Shooting

A 15-year-old was ordered held in juvenile detention in connection with a shooting at Seattle's Bite of Seattle food festival on July 27, 2026 that killed three people and injured at least four others, according to NBC News. Judge Tanya Thorp issued the detention order.

The three people killed were identified as Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, who died of multiple gunshot wounds; Ashley Whitehead, 56, who died of a gunshot wound to the pelvis; and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, who died of a gunshot wound to the torso, per NBC News. Four other people were wounded and are stable, according to officials. A 2-year-old boy was in the area where shots were fired and was discharged from Harborview Medical Center in satisfactory condition, the network reports.

A police officer less than 100 feet away saw the 15-year-old holding a handgun and firing into the crowd, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors, NBC News reports. Officers found three victims in the direction the 15-year-old is alleged to have fired, including a 2-year-old and a person pushing a bicycle, according to court documents cited by the network.

The 15-year-old had not been involved in a criminal case before in King County, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, NBC News reports. The teen is being held on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors said the gunfight involved the 15-year-old, a 19-year-old man who died at the scene, and possibly a third person. Nicole Powell, assistant chief of investigations for the Seattle Police Department, stated: "At this point, we believe this could be gang-related. There were two groups firing," according to NBC News. The 15-year-old and the 19-year-old deceased are described as "associates" by officials.

The teen was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, according to prosecutors. Police detained the 19-year-old at the same time as the 15-year-old, and he later died of a gunshot wound, according to court documents cited by NBC News. Police continue to look for a third possible suspect, according to Mayor Katie Wilson.

Gary Gatewood Jr., a youth coordinator in Seattle at Southwest Youth and Family Services, said he knows the teen but declined to share additional details. The 15-year-old's public defender is Hong Tran, who declined to comment Monday. Prosecutors expect to receive initial details of the police investigation Wednesday and make a formal charging decision soon after.