15-year-old suspect held on 3 counts of first-degree assault in Bite of Seattle shooting

A judge found probable cause to hold the 15-year-old arrested after the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting for investigation on three counts of first-degree assault and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to a statement provided to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the juvenile appeared through his attorney at a first appearance hearing Monday afternoon, though he waived his personal attendance.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Logan Bryant asked the court to find probable cause for the four offenses. After hearing arguments from prosecutors and the defense, the judge found probable cause and ordered the teenager held in secure detention at the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center in Seattle.

Prosecutors requested secure detention, a recommendation also supported by the juvenile probation counselor. Unlike in adult court, bail is generally not set in juvenile cases. A judge instead decides whether a respondent will remain in secure detention, be placed on electronic home monitoring, or be released on personal recognizance.

The court also ordered the teenager to have no contact with the shooting victims or their families and prohibited him from entering the entire Seattle Center campus.

The first appearance was not a charging hearing. Prosecutors said it was limited to determining whether probable cause supported the arrest and whether the juvenile should remain in custody while police continue investigating. Seattle police are expected to refer the case to prosecutors by 4:30 pm Wednesday, July 29, for an independent review and charging decision. If prosecutors receive the referral within the court’s 72-hour window, they may file charges and ask a judge to keep the teenager in custody.

At Monday’s hearing, the defense asked the court to direct reporters to identify the teenager only by his initials. Prosecutors deferred to the judge, who did not issue such an order but said there was an understanding that reporters covering the hearing would not publish his name.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it had never previously received a case involving the juvenile from law enforcement.

Authorities believe at least three people participated in the gunfight outside the Seattle Center Armory during the Bite of Seattle festival Sunday evening. Investigators said the 15-year-old and a 19-year-old acquaintance who died at the scene exchanged gunfire with “at least one other unknown suspect.” Police said the shooting may have been gang-related and involved two opposing groups. The unidentified suspected shooter remains at large.

Three people were killed: the 19-year-old suspected shooter, 44-year-old Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, a father of three, and 56-year-old Ashley Whitehead. Four others were wounded, including a 2-year-old boy who was later released from the hospital. The investigation remains ongoing.