Multiple people shot near Seattle Center during Bite of Seattle festival

Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Seattle Center near the Space Needle Sunday night. Officers told people to avoid the area while they investigated. Police did not immediately provide a victim count, the severity of the injuries or any information on possible suspects.

The shooting unfolded during the Bite of Seattle, the annual food festival that began in 1982 and draws about 350,000 attendees over three days. Seattle Center sits about a block from the Space Needle and serves as an events complex that also includes Climate Pledge Arena.

The same area has now seen several security episodes in a short span. Just two days earlier, two men climbed over the Space Needle’s glass wall, flipped over the edge and parachuted down from the 605-foot structure. In January, Seattle police arrested Marcos Campos Lezama near the Space Needle during New Year’s Eve celebrations after a man with a shotgun was seen near the Pacific Science Center; police said he was also carrying a pistol and ammunition, and the Seattle City Attorney’s Office later charged him with unlawful use of weapons to intimidate. Bail was set at $10,000.

Seattle Center’s mix of concerts, sports, tourism and street-level festivals puts it at the center of some of the city’s largest summer crowds.