Police in Seattle have said that a shooting at a food festival which left three people dead was a targeted shootout, with multiple gunmen opening fire on each other amid a packed crowd of attendees. The incident has alarmed residents and event organisers, as it shows that public gatherings can be caught in the crossfire of disputes between armed individuals rather than being the result of a single attacker targeting bystanders.

Investigators are continuing to examine the motive behind the confrontation, which erupted while the festival was busy with members of the public. Authorities have not yet released full details of the suspects, their relationship to one another, or the exact circumstances that triggered the exchange of gunfire, but the case is being treated as an active investigation into targeted violence rather than a random mass-casualty attack.