Police arrest teen, find ghost gun in Space Needle shooting

Seattle police on Tueday said they recovered an untraceable gun from a 15-year-old arrested after three people died in a shooting Sunday about a block from the Space Needle. Police recovered three guns from the scene, one of those being a ghost gun found on the arrested teen suspect, said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. Investigators recovered 14 shell casings from two different weapons at the food festival where the shooting broke out Sunday night. Police earlier told reporters there were two people shooting at each other at the scene. Authorities believe the attack to have been a targeted, gang-related shooting.

The untraceable 9 mm Polymer80 ghost gun included an extended 33-round magazine and no serial numbers, he said. Many so-called ghost guns are homemade from individually 3D printed parts, making the weapons untraceable. Police initially recovered a second weapon, a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, which they don’t believe was used in the incident. Investigators also discovered a 9 mm Glock pistol with a fully automatic switch while cleaning up the scene on Monday, Barnes said.

Any updates on the victims? Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson identified the three people killed during the shooting on Tuesday. Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, had no involvement in the shooting and died as innocent bystanders, Wilson said. Officials think the third deceased individual, 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, took part in the shooting, she added. Barnes also clarified that the four other people injured during the gunfire were also innocent bystanders and had no ties to either suspected shooter.

What was the motive? Police believe the incident to be targeted, gang-related violence that posed no greater immediate public danger to the public, Wilson said. Police continued searching for associates of the alleged shooters. The mayor noted that those involved in, or tied to, gangs put themselves and their communities at risk.