TikToker Who Warned About Security Gaps at Seattle Food Festival Over 24 Hours Before the Shooting Posts a Follow-Up Video

What began as a summer celebration of food and music has now become the focus of a very different conversation. And at the center of it is a TikTok creator whose video from the festival is being viewed in a completely new light after a deadly shooting.

A TikToker's security concerns at Seattle's Bite of Seattle food festival are drawing renewed attention after a deadly mass shooting. His videos — posted before and after the attack — have sparked debate online as witnesses continue sharing what they experienced during the chaos.

A mass shooting erupted Sunday evening during Seattle's annual Bite of Seattle food festival, leaving three people dead and four others injured, including a 2-year-old boy. According to reports, the gunfire broke out around 6 p.m. at Seattle Center, sending thousands of attendees running for safety.

Authorities said two men, ages 19 and 44, died at the scene, while a 56-year-old woman later succumbed to her injuries at Harborview Medical Center. Four other victims — a toddler, a 23-year-old man, and two women, ages 39 and 40 — were hospitalized in stable condition.

The injured toddler appeared to be conscious but was not crying while paramedics treated him, witness Michael Girardi told the Seattle Times. "The mother [was] in anguish," Girardi recalled.

Police believe two people exchanged gunfire during the incident. Mayor Katie Wilson said about three hours after the shooting that one suspect had been taken into custody. That individual was later transported to Seattle Police Headquarters for questioning.

Photos later emerged showing one person being escorted away by Seattle police, although authorities have not confirmed whether that individual is being treated as a suspect. Seattle Police Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis said the second suspected shooter remains at large, urging anyone with information to come forward.

Leebotracks Walked Through the Festival and Pointed Out What Concerned Him Most

Long before gunfire shattered the festival, TikTok creator leebotracks posted a video from inside the event questioning what he believed were major security shortcomings. While walking through the crowded festival grounds, he repeatedly pointed out what he said was the lack of visible security.

"With no security, no pat-down [sic], no search of the bag. Surprised there's not any security walking around. It's by the Seattle got the budget, y'all got the sponsors, you got the support okay."

"Make it happen, keep the people safe. Yeah, you should not be able to just walk up into this festival with all these people, with all these vendors, with no security. We in here with the bag, feel me with the bag. If nobody else is gonna talk about it, I'm gonna talk about it. We officially found the security app eating food in a fenced area."

The video's caption read, "Maybe it’s just me, but this seems a little weird.. #seattle #biteofseattle #security #food #event"

His Follow-Up Video Reignited the Debate

More than 24 hours after posting the first clip, leebotracks returned to TikTok with a follow-up video, saying he had already warned people about what he believed were serious security flaws. He said:

"No metal detectors, no people going by with dog. I called out the Bite of Seattle security flaws way before the shooting happened. Over 24 hours before, there's no checkpoint, and all of a sudden there's a shooting."

"I tried to let everybody know how security was being handled. There's a shooting at the Bite of Seattle secure, an area that's very central in downtown Seattle, and people are surprised."

"Nobody can say I didn't try to let people know. People really were bashing me in my comment sections on the previous video, saying, oh, you're [expletive]. Sounds like you're scared to go outside."

The creator captioned the video, "Wasn’t it so obvious… #seattle #biteofseattle #shooting #travel #news"

Viewers Flooded the Comments With Theories and Reactions

As the second video spread online, many viewers suggested the creator's earlier concerns now appeared eerily prophetic, as one person wrote, "You jinxed it, bro." Another commenter said, "This needs more recognition. You were tryna warn usss."

A third viewer asked, "Did you have a little premonition?" Someone else commented, "Crazy that you seem to be predicting the future." Another joked, "U might be a suspect now bro." One viewer wrote, "The shooter probably watched your video before he went."

Another commented, "no no sir You was advertising to come on down with your pistols and start trouble in ruckus thanks [sic]." A third added, "There’s always a warning. So many never listen."

While social media viewers argued over the TikTok videos, those who were actually at the festival were still trying to process the terrifying moments when the celebration turned into chaos.

Videos captured crowds sprinting through vendor aisles as gunfire echoed across the festival grounds, while witnesses described scenes of confusion, panic, and desperate attempts to escape.

As the Online Debate Grew, Survivors Revealed What Happened Inside the Festival

Witnesses described the frightening moments when gunfire shattered the festival, while a live YouTube stream from food vendor Hawaiian Honey Cones captured the chaos as it unfolded.

In the video, loud pops interrupted the event before someone suddenly shouted, "Shooting, shooting!" Vendor Christopher Monterroso immediately turned toward the fleeing crowd while still holding a honey cone.

"Shooting, oh [expletive]. Oh [expletive] right here," Monterroso shouted as he warned staff to get down.

The footage also showed people scrambling away, with several festivalgoers climbing over barricades and grabbing loved ones as they ran from the sound of gunfire.

'Suddenly Everything Was Empty': More Witnesses Describe the Terrifying Moment

Faith Adia Hunter told Fox 34 that she and her friends had just picked up food when they realized they were dangerously close to the shooter. "We were right next to him when it started, so we took off running. So we took off running too into the building with the crowd."

Vendor Roberto Ramirez said he initially thought the loud noises were fireworks, "Suddenly everything was empty. People were freaked out."

Vendor Dominique Campbell, who had traveled from Los Angeles to sell clothing for his brand, Soup, said he and his sister immediately ducked for cover. "One of the people who got hit made it to my booth," Campbell recalled.

He said he grabbed one of his shirts and used it to help stop the victim's bleeding. "I grabbed a T-shirt and wrapped her leg and just put pressure on it." Campbell said the woman appeared unaware she had been shot. "She kept asking what happened."

Estan Wakonabo described seeing people desperately trying to get away, "People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling." He added:

"Once I heard a 'pop, pop, pop,' that's when I knew it was a shooter."

Chase Hutchinson was near the SIFF Film Center, roughly 0.2 miles away, when the shots rang out. "Immediately I knew what it was," Hutchinson said. He recalled a brief moment of uncertainty before panic spread through the crowd.

"It took a second for people to start running. There was this kind of surreal moment of 'what happened?' It all happened really, really fast."

The chaos also prompted an evacuation of the Pacific Science Center's IMAX theater. Sean Swanson, who was inside, said officers instructed everyone to leave with their hands raised.

"Come out with your hands up," a police officer told guests. Swanson initially believed officers were speaking to a suspect before realizing the command was directed at everyone inside the theater.

'Where Do We Go?': Another Set of Survivors Recall the Chaos

Other witnesses said the confusion only intensified after the gunfire stopped, as frightened festivalgoers struggled to figure out where it was safe to go. One witness told BBC News:

"I don't — I just couldn't tell you. There were so many people there I seen [sic] on the ground. It was horrible. It's hard to tell anything. I was just asking people if they were okay."

The witness continued, "Everything was just so chaotic. Once they told us to go back in, we started running because, you know, seeing that and it was just like 'where do we go? Where do we go?'"

Another eyewitness recalled the sounds that convinced them they were hearing gunfire rather than fireworks. "It was like 'brrap,' and then it was like bop bop bop bop. So, I don't know weapons, but I guess it was like probably a semi-automatic, and then it was probably pistols after that."

The second witness added, "We were walking this way, about a quarter mile over there, and we were probably 20 ft from wherever the shots were. We first thought they were fireworks, and then everybody flooded and ran past us."

A third witness remembered using Seattle's most recognizable landmark to avoid becoming separated from the crowd, "We ran through the garden, and we ducked, and we [then] decided running with the crowd [...] I looked up for the Space Needle to try and keep track of where we were. It was really scary. It was just — it's the first mass shooting anything I've ever been involved in."

Police Say They Still Need the Public's Help

As detectives continued investigating the shooting, Assistant Chief Davis said officers were still trying to identify everyone involved. "They're not coming forward." He urged anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact investigators. "We need your help."

Davis added, "We can't solve this without help from our community." King County Executive Girmay Zahilay also said he was "horrified" by the violence at one of Seattle's best-known summer events. "For years the Bite has been one of Seattle's signature summer traditions."

He continued, "To see violence at a place that brings so many people together is heartbreaking and unacceptable." Zahilay added, "My heart is with the victims and their loved ones, those who were senselessly injured."

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson also responded, saying, "Prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe."