By the South Seattle shoreline, hundreds of people sat on the lawn as Blue Angel fighter jets did flips overhead, roaring through the air. Lovel Gibson, 50, stood with his family to watch the show this weekend.
He knew that a few days earlier, gunfire had torn through a Seattle food festival about seven miles north, killing three and wounding at least four others, but he wouldn’t let that deter an outing to the city’s Seafair Weekend Festival.
“You can’t live your life in fear,” Mr. Gibson said on Friday, adding that he had attended the festival when he was younger and now wanted to experience it with his children.
Still, attendees of Seafair Weekend, which attracts large crowds for its hydroplane races and air shows, acknowledged caution and concern after the chaotic shooting last Sunday.
The police said the festival is expected to see enhanced security throughout the weekend. It will be “100 percent gated,” said Emily Cantrell, who runs the event, which is expected to draw thousands of attendees.
A 15-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival. Investigators have said that they believe two rival gangs were involved, and that at least four weapons were fired — including a ghost gun. The authorities have also said that they believed one of the shooters was among those killed, and that are were still seeking other suspects.
“The safety of people in this city is our first obligation, and we are ready to meet it this weekend and every day that follows,” said Mayor Katie Wilson of Seattle at a news conference on Friday.
The Seattle Police Department will increase staffing at all remaining summer events, said Andre Sayles, who was appointed interim police chief after Ms. Wilson demanded his predecessor resign.
As the festival began Friday, crowds moved briskly through the gates, carrying lawn chairs and reusable grocery bags full of snacks. Private security guards checked bags and stopped people who triggered the metal detectors, and dozens of police officers were scattered inside the venue, strolling among the carnival food stands and military recruitment tents.
Miranda Geiszler, who was visiting with her husband, said the previous weekend’s shooting gave her pause about attending.
“When that shooting happened, we were like, ‘Oh, we’re going to a big event in a week,’” Ms. Geiszler said. “It’s scary, but the risk is always there, no matter where you go.”
Victor Njiru, 45, was attending with his family, and felt security could have been stricter.
“I was thinking there’d be more police to make sure people are safe, because of what happened last weekend,” he said. “There are so many people here. But I’m hoping everything will be fine.”
Gun violence has decreased in Seattle from its post-pandemic peak, but a recent series of high-profile shootings has stoked complaints that city leaders have failed to tackle violence in several neighborhoods.
The aftermath of the recent shooting led to upheaval in the Seattle police department. Mayor Katie Wilson on Thursday announced the resignation of its chief, Shon Barnes, who will receive about a half-million dollars from the city as he walks out the door, according to his resignation agreement.
Ms. Wilson asked for the chief’s resignation Wednesday night, three days after the shooting. Over the next 24 hours, as lawyers for the city and the police chief negotiated his severance package, leaders of Seattle’s small but active Black community rallied to save his job. And City Council members preemptively sent out news releases criticizing the decision and accusing the mayor of acting rashly, given that crime has fallen under Mr. Barnes’s leadership.
At a news conference Friday, Ms. Wilson said she heard those concerns but was comfortable with her choice.
In laying out what she is seeking from a new chief, she touched on many of the questions that had been raised about Mr. Barnes, including his frequent travel, his decision to rent in Seattle and keep a permanent home in Chicago and his heated response to criticism about the speed with which the department shared information about the recent shooting.
On Friday, Mr. Sayles said investigators were continuing to look for “multiple suspects” in the food festival shooting.