Two hit by gunfire at Seattle's Folklife Festival

An argument that became a physical fight left at least two people wounded by a single gunshot Saturday evening at the Northwest Folklife Festival, as thousands of people listened to music and danced at Seattle Center.

Police quickly apprehended an adult male suspect, and they said it appeared he and the victims may have known one another. However, said Greg Schmidt, Seattle Police director of communications, it is not known whether the shooting was deliberate.

Schmidt said one round was fired from a Glock semiautomatic. The round passed through a woman's leg and a man's arm before possibly striking another man.

The woman and the man with the arm injury were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, Schmidt said. Police were interviewing the other man who may have been shot; he left the Center grounds but later returned, Schmidt said. The names of the victims were not released.

The incident occurred in a grassy area north of the International Fountain, near the Mercer Street entrance to the Center.

Although people nearby scattered and ran when the shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m., police said, many at the festival were unaware of what had happened.

Schmidt said three police officers were nearby and immediately "jumped in and secured the firearm."

Schmid said the man they arrested had a license for the weapon, which he was carrying in an ankle holster.

By 7:30, except for a police tape barrier around the scene of the gunfire and a lot of "guys in blue" around, as one onlooker noted, the festival appeared to be back to normal. Parents toted children and plates of food, teens in shorts giggled with their friends, and women wearing long, colorful skirts floated by, swaying to the insistent rhythms of Folklife.

"The festival, as you can see and hear, is going on," Schmidt said. "It's a beautiful day."

Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com