Seattle pays tribute to food festival shooting victims

What the report says

BBC World News reported that Seattle residents gathered in mourning on Monday after three people were killed in a shooting the previous day at the Bite of Seattle food festival. A candlelight vigil at a local fountain drew dozens of people, including the city’s mayor and police chief, as mourners placed flowers, lit candles and observed a moment of silence.

The victims were identified as Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56. Online fundraising pages for Villalba and Whitehead had drawn tens of thousands of dollars in donations, according to the BBC. Villalba’s fundraiser described him as a husband, father of three and friend known for generosity, with donations intended for funeral costs and family support. Whitehead’s relatives said she had been waiting in line for cotton candy with her daughter when shots were fired and later died in hospital during surgery.

Police have described the incident as a suspected gunfight near Seattle’s Space Needle. The shooting left three people dead and four others injured on Sunday, the final day of the annual three-day festival. Police suspect Semo was involved in the gunfight; another suspect is in custody, and a third remained at large, the BBC reported.

Mayor Katie Wilson condemned the violence at the vigil, and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said on social media that the community was shaken by gunfire at an iconic public celebration. The Bite of Seattle is a free annual event that the BBC said draws about 350,000 people each year.