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Seattle shooting: Police hunt at least two suspects after one woman dead and seven wounded

Getty Images
Getty Images

Police in Seattle have launched a manhunt for at least two suspects after a woman was shot dead and seven others were wounded in a violent altercation outside a fastfood restaurant.

Investigators said the shooting on Wednesday was “not a random incident” but admitted the circumstances and number of people involved remained unclear.

The violence is said to have started during a dispute in front of a McDonald’s restaurant in a busy downtown shopping district during the evening rush hour.

"People pulled out guns, shots rang out, people ran in various directions," Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said.

One person died and seven were injured in the gunfire (AFP via Getty Images)
One person died and seven were injured in the gunfire (AFP via Getty Images)

She added that there were "multiple people involved as shooters" who apparently fled the scene, but declined to specify how many suspects police believed were at large.

"We've locked down the scene. We have no active shooting at this point ... so everything is safe for the night."

Seattle television station KOMO-TV, citing witness accounts, reported that two men were seen arguing on the street before pulling guns on each other and opening fire as pedestrians around them scattered for cover.

Police are hunting at least two suspects(@nikesh_parekh Twitter account/A)
Police are hunting at least two suspects(@nikesh_parekh Twitter account/A)

All of those hit by gunfire were believed to have been bystanders, authorities said.

A Fire Department spokesman said a woman in her 40s was pronounced dead at the scene.

Of the seven others wounded one woman in her 50s was in a critical condition and a nine-year-old boy was in a serious condition.

An office worker identified only as Bill told KOMO-TV he heard gunfire and saw scores of people running away in terror as he watched the scene unfold from an upstairs office window .

"It was sheer panic," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."