SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 A shooting killed two people and wounded five including a child on Sunday evening during a popular food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle, a city fire department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Police were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown. Authorities did not immediately say if anyone was in custody.<\/p>\n
Two people died at the scene, said Grace Nu\u00f1ez, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department. <\/p>\n
Five patients were transported to Harborview Medical Center, including a 56-year-old woman in serious condition, Nu\u00f1ez said. <\/p>\n
A 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman are in stable condition, while a 40-year-old woman had minor injuries, she said. <\/p>\n
Hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said the victims suffered injuries to the arm, abdomen or legs.<\/p>\n
A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area around the sprawling Seattle Center events campus. Authorities have not said where exactly the shooting occurred at the event, which had outdoor and indoor areas.<\/p>\n
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings and State Patrol SWAT officers were deployed to assist local police.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,\u201d Ferguson said in a statement. <\/p>\n
Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realized a shooter was near them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were right next to him when it started so we took off running,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cSo we took off running too into the building with the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children\u2019s Museum, Hunter said.<\/p>\n
In the chaos of the shooting, many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands. Hours afterward, some milled outside the police tape, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food and cooking gear.<\/p>\n
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling \u201cshooter\u201d and frantically running.<\/p>\n