Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a Tuesday news conference that investigators found two notable weapons at the Bite of Seattle mass shooting scene: a modified machine gun and an untraceable ghost gun. The shooting left three people dead and at least five wounded. The Guardian

The shooting happened at Seattle Center, a park near the Space Needle, during a three-day food festival. Seattle police said the incident was likely linked to gang violence. Officers were already at the festival grounds when the gunfire started. The incident was handled by SPD's West Precinct and given incident number 2026-219105. The Guardian

At least three suspects were involved. A 19-year-old named Junior Cee Niko Semo died at the scene. A 15-year-old was disarmed and arrested. At least one suspect is still on the loose. Two bystanders who had nothing to do with the shooting were killed: Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56. A two-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire and wounded. Others were trampled as the crowd ran away. Police were also trying to find a person who showed up at a nearby hospital with a possible gunshot wound, but had not confirmed that person was a victim of the shooting. The Guardian

Three pistols and used bullet casings were recovered from the scene. One key finding was a Glock pistol modified with a small device called an auto sear, or switch. This device turns a normal handgun into a fully automatic weapon, meaning it keeps firing as long as the trigger is held down, similar to how a machine gun works. That Glock had a 40-round magazine attached. The 15-year-old suspect was caught carrying a 9mm ghost gun, a firearm built from a kit at home with no serial number, which makes it nearly impossible for police to trace. It had a 33-round magazine. Washington State law limits magazines to 10 rounds, so both of these exceeded that limit. A third weapon, a .45-caliber pistol, was recovered but was not used in the crime. Police did not believe any of the guns were stolen, though they were still tracing the two that had serial numbers. The Guardian

Authorities are reviewing physical evidence, digital recordings, and camera footage to piece together what happened and find the suspect who is still at large. The Guardian

The broader context here is that two different firearm trends showed up in one chaotic event. The ghost gun was built from a Polymer80 parts kit, from a company that is no longer in business. The ATF, the federal agency that regulates guns, began treating unserialized ghost guns as regular firearms under federal law in 2022 to close the gap that these kits fell into. The modified Glock raises a separate concern. Auto sears turn regular handguns into fully automatic weapons, which means they fire much faster and can cause far more harm in crowded public places. The combination of a converted machine gun with a large magazine and an untraceable, high-capacity pistol in the hands of young suspects shows the challenge now facing city police departments.

Looking at what this means for the investigation, the bullet casings and three pistols give prosecutors a starting point for building a case once suspects are charged. Because SPD officers were already on the grounds, the response was likely fast. Still, a two-year-old was caught in the crossfire, which shows how hard it is to stop multiple shooters in a packed crowd. With one suspect dead, one in custody, and at least one at large, the camera footage and digital evidence will be central to figuring out who fired what and when.