Mall killer caught, motive unknown
The suspect in a shooting at a Washington state mall that left five dead and sparked an intensive, nearly 24-hour manhunt is in custody, authorities said yesterday.
Washington State Patrol Sergeant Mark Francis identified the suspect via Twitter as 20-yearold Arcan Cetin of Oak Harbor, Washington.
A gunman opened fire at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, Friday night (local time), killing four females and a male before fleeing.
The first 911 call came in just before 7pm on a busy Friday night at the Cascade Mall: A man with a rifle was shooting at people in the Macy’s department store.
By the time police arrived moments later, the carnage at the Macy’s makeup counter was complete. Four people were dead, and the shooter was gone, last seen walking toward Interstate 5. A fifth victim, a man, died several hours later as police finished sweeping the 40,000-square-metre building.
‘‘There are people waking up this morning, and their world has changed forever. The city of Burlington has probably changed forever, but I don’t think our way of life needs to change,’’ Burlington mayor Steve Sexton said yesterday.
‘‘This was a senseless act. It was the world knocking on our doorstep, and it came into our little community.’’
As the small city absorbed the tragic news, critical questions remained, including the shooter’s motive.
The FBI said terrorism was not suspected.
Surveillance video captured the suspect entering the mall unarmed and then recorded him about 10 minutes later entering the Macy’s with a ‘‘hunting type’’ rifle in his hand, Mt Vernon police Lieutenant Chris Cammock said.
Authorities did not say how the suspect may have obtained the weapon – whether he retrieved it from outside or picked it up in the mall – but they believe he acted alone. The weapon was recovered at the scene.
The identities of the victims – four women who ranged in age from a teenager to a senior citizen – were withheld pending autopsies and notification of family.
The identity of the man who was fatally shot was also withheld and may not be released until tomorrow.
‘‘Probably one of the most difficult moments for us last night was knowing that there were family members wondering about their loved ones in there,’’ Cammock said.
Earlier yesterday as police scrambled to find the shooter, the small city waited and worried.
The community of 8600 people is too far from Seattle to be a commuter town, but its population swells to 55,000 during the day because of a popular outlet mall, retail stores and other businesses.
Burlington is the only major retail centre within 50km in a region where agriculture is king, said Linda Jones, president of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.
Residents gathered yesterday to comfort each other at a community gathering in a city park.
‘‘It’s too scary. It’s too close to home,’’ said Maria Elena Vasquez, who attended the gathering with her husband and two young children.
Those who survived were still trying to process what happened as their community became the latest entry on a list of places known by the rest of world for mass shootings. Joanne Burkholder, 19, of nearby Mt Vernon, was watching the movie The Magnificent Seven in the mall’s theater when security guards came in and told them to evacuate immediately. Dozens of panicked moviegoers gathered in the hallway, and Burkholder heard screaming as the officers escorted them to safety in a parking lot.
As she drove home later, she had to pull over because she was shaking so hard, she said.
‘‘I’m just very thankful for my life this morning. I’ve never been so terrified in my life,’’ she said yesterday, trying to hold back tears as she attended the community vigil.
‘‘You’d think it would happen in Everett or Seattle, but a small town of Burlington, I’d never dream something like this would happen,’’ she said.
People who believed they may have lost loved ones were being sequestered at a church three blocks from the mall, where counselors and a golden retriever therapy dog were present.
The Seattle Times reported that one of the victims in the deadly Washington state mall shooting is a 16-year-old girl.
‘‘There are people waking up this morning and their world has changed forever.’’ Steve Sexton, Burlington Mayor