Seattle, Washington: Bite of Seattle Shooting Suspect, 15, Released to Home Monitoring

A 15-year-old charged in the Bite of Seattle shooting has been released from juvenile detention to electronic home monitoring. A King County Superior Court judge ruled on Wednesday, October 21, that he could wait at his father's home while his case moves forward.

Judge Veronica Galvan ordered the release on Wednesday. Court documents say he will live with his father and stepmother, be under 24-hour adult supervision, stay away from Seattle Center, and have no contact with others involved in the case, according to KNKX Public Radio and USA TODAY. A review hearing is set for next month to check compliance.

What happened at Seattle Center on July 26

The shooting happened on July 26 during the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center. Three people died and four were injured, including a toddler. Two of the dead were festival attendees, Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44. The third was 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko-Semo, whom police described in July as an associate of the 15-year-old and a person involved in the incident.

Police arrested the teenager at the scene. He was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. KNKX reported that the assault charge carries a firearm allegation involving an extended magazine. Police recovered an illegal homemade 9mm ghost gun and a Glock 9mm pistol at the scene, USA TODAY reported. Prosecutors are asking to move the case out of juvenile court so he can be charged as an adult.

Why the judge allowed release

The teenager's lawyers asked for his release last month, and the judge denied it then, according to the Seattle Focal account. On Wednesday, Galvan said new evidence had raised other issues and noted a colorable claim of self-defense. She also noted disparities in how the prosecutor's office has treated other young people in similar circumstances, KOMO News reported.

Authorities have found no evidence connecting the teenager's gun to the deaths of the two bystanders, USA TODAY reported. Ballistic evidence at an earlier hearing indicated his gun likely did not match the bullets that killed the three people who died, the Seattle Focal reported.

Prosecutors argued against release and said he remains a risk to the community because he was willing to fire a gun at a crowded festival. Defense attorney Hong Tran told the judge the teenager recognizes his actions were dangerous and inappropriate and is committed to learning from his mistakes, KNKX reported.

The case is still open

Seattle police have said the teenager was one of at least four suspects, and investigators still seek another unknown suspect. On October 12, a food vendor breaking down a booth at the festival grounds found a bullet fragment and gave it to a KUOW reporter, FOX 13 Seattle reported. The lead detective collected it the next day and sent it to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab on October 13. Ballistic and DNA results are still pending. Former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes resigned days after the shooting, after criticism of his response, USA TODAY reported.

The teenager is not named here because he is a minor. The charges are allegations, and the case has not gone to trial.