Bullets that fatally struck two bystanders during a shootout at a Seattle food festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun fired by a 15-year-old arrested at the scene, according to court documents filed on Wednesday.

Authorities say the teen sprayed an untraceable “ghost gun” into the crowd. Preliminary ballistics testing found that the bullets recovered from the deceased bystanders did not match the weapon the teen was using. Shell casings found at the scene indicate that four different weapons were fired during the incident.

Seattle police chief Shon Barnes stated at a news conference on Monday, “We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other, and in our city 0.01% of the population is connected to 52% of our shootings.” Police have been working to identify at least one other person involved in the shooting but have not indicated who might have fired the bullets that killed the bystanders.

In addition to the two fatalities, at least four other bystanders were wounded in the crossfire, including a two-year-old boy.

The King County prosecutor’s office has charged the 15-year-old with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and unlawful possession of a handgun by someone under 18. If convicted in adult court, the teen could face about eight to 10 years in prison, with an additional possible five years for the firearm enhancement.

Sources