Multiple people shot after gunfire breaks out near Seattle’s Space Needle

Several people were injured in a shooting at an event complex near the Space Needle in Seattle on Sunday night, police said in a statement.

While authorities did not immediately say what precipitated the attack or how many people were injured, social media began to light up with videos and accounts of the attack.

In X, Seattle police urged people to avoid the area around Seattle Center.

The Seattle Times reported that the area was packed with revelers attending a food festival called Seattle Bite.

A reporter for the newspaper attended the meeting and recalled hearing several loud explosions, followed by what sounded like rapid gunfire around 6 p.m.

The newspaper quoted several witnesses who described how the gunshot sent screaming bystanders scrambling for cover.

One woman, 22-year-old Kayla Carris, he told the news outlet He said he witnessed bystanders “throwing items and running” to enter a nearby building.

Two festival attendees told the local: KOMO news station He said they heard “seven to eight gunshots.”

Although violent crime is generally trending downward nationwide, there have been at least 270 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive website, which tracks shootings from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources. The site defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four victims are shot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.