Lit candles line the International Fountain during a community vigil in honor of the 3 people who were shot and killed during Bite of Seattle the previous day, on Monday, July 27, 2026, at Seattle Center.
Megan Farmer / KUOW
The only person who has been arrested in connection with the July 26 Seattle Center mass shooting was denied release and electronic home monitoring Tuesday. A King County juvenile court judge said the teen, who is charged with first-degree assault, is a threat to community safety.
The 15-year-old arrested at the Bite of Seattle shooting will stay locked up in the county’s juvenile detention center, after being there for over a month.
KUOW is not naming him because he’s a minor. He is charged with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement — for firing multiple times into a crowd — and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
At a court hearing Tuesday, the teen’s attorney requested that he be released into his father’s custody with electronic home monitoring.
Hong Tran, his attorney, argued that the 15-year-old has no prior crimes on his record, and he’s demonstrated positive behavior while in custody at the youth jail.
While detained, the defendant has enrolled in various youth programs and “has earned several certificates for attendance and good behavior,” according to court documents.
The defendant’s father spoke at the hearing, requesting that his son come home with him. He told the judge that he would keep watch over his son and he wouldn’t have access to social media.
Court documents state that the defendant, who would be a high school sophomore this year, “enjoys school and plans to continue to pursue his education online.”
Tran said he has been assigned a caseworker with the YMCA violence prevention program and will participate in counseling with Sound WISE, a behavioral health program for youths.
Ultimately, Judge Veronica Galván decided that the teen should remain at the detention center because he is accused of firing a gun into a crowd of people, and remains “a threat to community safety.”
“It’s not a no, just not yet,” Galván told the teen’s father.
A representative for one of the injured victims spoke via video conference, saying they objected to the defendant being released.
According to charging documents, the defendant was standing near Junior Niko-Semo, the 19-year-old who was killed at the festival, at the time the first shots were fired.
Witnesses told police that the 15-year-old defendant pulled a firearm from a pouch and shot in the direction of the shots.
When he was arrested, he told officers, “I was getting shot at” and that he shot back in self-defense, according to court documents.
Law enforcement has confirmed that the gun the teen was carrying at the time of his arrest does not match the bullets removed from the three people killed, according to court documents.
Investigators are still determining if any evidence connects the teen to the five other people injured. Police have said they’re looking for additional suspects.
Another hearing is set for early November. It will determine if the teenager’s case will be moved to adult court.
Galván took a moment to praise the teenager for his good behavior before he was led back into the youth jail.
“Well done,” she said.
Casey Martin is a reporter with KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
