Three people have died and several Other people were injured after a shooting at a food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle on Sunday, the city’s fire department said.

Mayor Katie Wilson said a suspect was detained following the incident at Seattle Centre, which had been hosting the annual Bite of Seattle food festival over the weekend when the shots were fired around 6pm local time.

A second suspect fled the scene and has not yet been arrested, Seattle Police Deputy Chief Tyrone Davis added. He said the suspects are believed to have been shooting at each other.

Two deaths were confirmed at the scene and one person later died in hospital. Among the injured was a two-year-old child, authorities said.

Videos shared online showed people taking shelter inside the city’s iconic Space Needle.

People could be seen crouching on the ground, taking cover behind pillars and shelves of merchandise in the Space Needle lobby during the shooting.

The Seattle Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing and urged the public to avoid the area.

Wilson said in a statement that he wanted to “thank the Seattle police officers who responded to the scene and took the suspect into custody.”

He had originally announced that two suspects had been detained before updating his statement later on Sunday night.

Four of the injured were taken to the hospital in stable condition, while a fifth chose not to, the fire department said.