Police in northwest Washington state searched for a gunman on Saturday who opened fire in a shopping mall, killing five people, according to media reports and the state’s police force.
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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.
Police described the shooter as a Hispanic male wearing a dark shirt and dark shorts and armed with a rifle, according to several Twitter posts from Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis.
Authorities offered no information about a possible motive for the attack, which followed a series of violent outbursts at shopping center across the United States, including the stabbing of nine people at a Minnesota center last weekend.
In addition to the four women who died earlier, a male sustained who had sustained life-threatening injuries died in a hospital, authorities said. A man who was shot and taken to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle later died there. “It was frantic.” And Tari Caswell, a shopper in the Macy’s women’s dressing room told the Skagit Valley Herald she heard “what sounded like four balloons popping”, She added, “Then I heard seven or eight more, and I just stayed quiet in the dressing room because it just didn’t feel right”. “Stay indoors, stay secure”.
Police Lt. Chris Cammock said the suspect walked into the mall without a weapon – and “about 10 minutes later, entered Macy’s with a rifle”. “He was trying to go to the mall and people were screaming”, she said.
Suffolk police called the shooting “yet another senseless act of violence” and said their “thoughts are with Washington area law enforcement as they search to bring the suspect involved in this shooting to justice”. And it got very quiet.
“At this time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has no information to suggest additional attacks planned in WA state”, the Washington State Patrol said on Twitter.
She said he could see police at the doors with assault rifles. Francis said the numbers fluctuated as authorities searched the mall.
The Cascade Mall management said the property would be closed Saturday “out of respect for the victims of this tragic event and their families”.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a short statement.
Medics wait to gain access to the Cascade Mall after 5 people were shot dead in Burlington, Washington, on Friday. We urge residents to heed all safety and detour warnings. It features J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx and Macy’s stores, among other shops, restaurants and a movie theater.
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The Washington State Patrol says on Twitter that the four were shot Friday at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Seattle.
