At a detention hearing on Wednesday, King County Superior Court Judge Veronica Galván granted the request to release the teenage suspect in the Bite of Seattle shooting from secure detention. Documents released by the superior court clerk say the 15-year-old suspect will be under electronic home monitoring while awaiting trial.
After a deadly gunfight broke out at the food festival Bite of Seattle on July 26, he was taken into custody by police. Three people were killed in the shooting at Seattle Center, and four people were injured.
The teen is accused of firing into a crowd with an illegally manufactured handgun, known as a ghost gun. He has been charged with 1st degree assault with a firearm and illegally possessing a firearm in the 2nd degree.
Investigators found multiple guns at the scene and initially reported that the shooting may have been gang-related. The 15-year-old is the only person who has been arrested by the Seattle Police Department in connection with the Bite of Seattle shooting, but the investigation is ongoing.
Galván heard testimony from the suspect’s father and a probation counselor before approving the suspect’s release. Court documents say that the teen is still considered a threat to community safety.
A condition of his release is that he will be required to be under 24-hour adult supervision. The suspect is barred from contacting any of the surviving shooting victims and Seattle Center. He will also have to check in with his probation counselor three times a week. King County prosecutors have requested that the teen be tried as an adult. That has not yet been decided.
