US News
Teen charged in Bite of Seattle festival shooting claims self-defense
The 15-year-old is accused of assault and weapons violations after a July shootout left three dead and four injured, but defense filings assert he returned fire only after being targeted.
The short version
- A 15-year-old boy charged in connection with the July 26 Bite of Seattle shooting claims he fired back in self-defense after being shot at by unidentified suspects.
- The shootout left three people dead and four others wounded, though court records indicate the teen's shots did not cause any of the fatalities.
- The youth remains in juvenile detention on assault and unlawful firearm possession charges as prosecutors seek to transfer the case to adult court.
- Police are pursuing two persons of interest, but no other individuals have been charged to date.
Key facts
- The July 26 shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival resulted in three deaths and four injuries, including a 2-year-old child.[Fox News]
- A 15-year-old boy is charged with first-degree assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor.[Fox News]
- Court records state that the shots fired by the 15-year-old did not cause any of the three fatalities.[Fox News]
- Defense attorneys argue that witness accounts support the teen's claim of firing back only after two unidentified suspects opened fire toward him and his companion.[Fox News]
- Prosecutors allege the teen fired indiscriminately into a crowd using an untraceable Polymer80 firearm equipped with an extended magazine.[Fox News]
- A judge rejected the defense's request to release the teen to electronic monitoring, keeping him in custody ahead of an October status hearing and a November motion by prosecutors to try him as an adult.[Fox News]