Seattle: Two people were killed and five others were wounded in a shooting on Sunday evening (Seattle time) during a food festival at an events complex near the Space Needle in Seattle, a city fire department spokesperson said.

Police were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown.

The gunfire erupted around 6pm at the Seattle Centre during the Bite of Seattle festival.

Harborview Medical Centre spokesperson Susan Gregg said the hospital admitted four victims, including a toddler, a 23-year-old man and two adult women. One patient was in critical condition, she said.

A large number of police and emergency crews responded at about 6pm and began evacuating the area.

Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.

“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.

“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop’, that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.

After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to take photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.

The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration”, according to its website.

AP