City ‘changed forever’ as authorities hunt mall gunman

BURLINGTON, WASH. >> A gunman police said killed five people in a Washington state mall remained at large Saturday as authorities appealed for help in identifying the suspect but said there were no indications the slayings north of Seattle were a terrorist act.

People fled, customers hid in dressing rooms and employees locked the doors of nearby stores after gunshots rang out just after 7 p.m. Friday at the Cascade Mall. A helicopter, search teams and K-9 units scoured the area for a rifle-carrying man in a police response that included more than 200 officers.

“There are people waking up this morning and their world has changed forever,” Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton said Saturday at a news conference. “The city of Burlington has probably changed forever.”

Authorities said four females, ranging in age from teens to seniors, died after the gunman opened fire in the makeup department of a Macy’s store. An adult male who was wounded in the shooting died early Saturday, officials said. His age was not given and no identifications of the victims were released

Police said they were looking for a man dressed in black and last seen walking toward Interstate 5. The description, including that he appeared to be Hispanic, was based on statements from witnesses, said Given Kutz, a spokesman for the Skagit County Emergency Operations Center.

“We do not have an identity on the individual yet,” said Mount Vernon Police Lt. Chris Cammock. “We could certainly use the community’s help.”

Authorities said the motive was unknown for the shooting about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Seattle.

The FBI was assisting local authorities, but Michael Knutson, assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle FBI, said there was no evidence to point to terrorism.

Stephanie Bose, an assistant general manager at Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant near the Macy’s store at the mall, said she immediately locked the doors after hearing about the shooting from an employee’s boyfriend.

“He was trying to go to the mall and people were screaming,” she told The Associated Press. “It was frantic.”

StePHeN BRASHeAR - tHe ASSoCiAteD PReSS emergency personnel stand in front of an entrance to the Cascade Mall at the scene of a shooting where several people were killed Friday, in Burlington, Wash. Police searched Saturday for a gunman who opened fire in the makeup department of a Macy’s store at the mall north of Seattle, killing several females, before fleeing toward an interstate on foot, authorities said.

DeAN RUtZ/tHe SeAttle tiMeS ViA AP law enforcement officers work at the crime scene outside of Cascade Mall in Burlington, Wash., where several people were fatally shot on Friday. Authorities in Washington State say several people have been killed during a shooting at the mall north of Seattle and that at least one suspect remains at large. Sgt. Mark Francis says authorities are searching for a man wearing gray who was last seen walking toward interstate 5 from the mall.