Five killed in shooting at US mall, suspect at large
BLACK FRIDAY Victims include four women and a man; police launch manhunt
WASHINGTON: Four women and a man were killed on Friday night by an unidentified man at a shopping mall near Seattle in Washington state in yet another instance of mass shooting in the United States.
The gunman, who was described by authorities as a “Hispanic man”, was still at large. Police released a closely cropped still from video surveillance of the young-looking suspect showing only his head and torso, though the full picture, published by local media, showed him holding what appeared to be a rifle.
The killings took place in the Macy’s retail store at Cascade Mall in Burlington, which is 105 km from Seattle.
Police received calls around 6.58 pm on Friday that shots were fired at the mall, Trooper Rick Johnson, a police spokesperson said to CNN.
“Right now, we can’t assume anything. So they’re still interviewing witnesses and trying to get a good idea of exactly what action to take next. We’re just asking people to, obviously, stay away from the area,” he said.
“Stay inside and obviously report anything suspicious that they may see.”
The suspect was last seen walking toward a local highway from the mall before police arrived, Francis said on Twitter.
The mall was evacuated, police swarmed the area and medics rushed to the scene after the mall was initially placed on lockdown.
Witnesses told KOMO News that a shooter walked into Macy’s department store and opened fire.
Nearby businesses were evacuated, the television station added.
“I hear one shot and then stand kinda still and like two, three other people start running out saying ‘gun’ and then shot after shot after shot,” said Armando Patino, who was working at a cell phone store.
“I turn around and run to the store. Some people didn’t know where to go. I just moved them into the store,” he added.
“We went in the back where we have a door and everything and we just stayed there until they told us to evacuate.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies and sniffer dogs were searching for the suspect. The FBI’s Seattle field office said it was assisting local authorities in reviewing intelligence and was providing additional manpower.
“At this time, #FBI has no information to suggest additional attacks planned in WA state,” it said. Police took hours to clear the sprawling building, with Francis explaining that there were “a lot” of locked rooms and doors. They are now focusing on the investigation.
In 2016 alone, 311 Americans died in mass shootings, each involving four or more victims killed or wounded, in the country, which continues to debate gun control, stumbling from one incident to the next.
President Barack Obama has raged, ranted and teared up publicly, after the killing of 26 people, including 20 sixth-graders in Newtown, in frustration.
A powerful gun lobby led by the National Rifle Association has managed to kill every move made in the direction of even the smallest measure of control, such as a comprehensive background check of proactive buyers to prevent weapons, some of them as lethal as those used by the military, from falling into the wrong hands.