Reports about a shooting started coming in around 7 p.m. local time, Washington State Trooper spokeswoman Heather Axtman said.
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Three people were shot dead and two were wounded during a shooting at a mall Friday in northwest Washington state where authorities were searching for the gunman, several media outlets reported.
Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis said no motive was immediately known. “Our hearts are in Burlington”, Governor Jay Inslee said on Twitter. The FBI says it is helping with intelligence review and manpower.
The attacker is on the loose, CNN quoted officials as saying.
Eric Mathews, 40, who was meeting his son there, said it was a typical Friday night at the mall, which is about 100 kilometres north of Seattle.
The man was flown by helicopter to a Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is in “very critical condition”, Washington State Patrol spokesman Mark Francis confirmed.
The man was described as a “Hispanic” who was “wearing grey”. The state police initially said they were not certain how many attackers fired the shots.
“Trudi and I send our condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for anyone injured”. We urge residents to heed all safety and detour warnings.
The public is asked to stay away from the area of a mall and also to avoid the I5 in the vicinity of State Hwy. 20.
There have been 284 mass shootings in the USA this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Stephanie Bost, an employee at the mall’s Johnny Carino’s restaurant, said a customer warned her of a shooting almost 100 yards away. Her restaurant is just outside the Macy’s. “He was trying to go to the mall and people were screaming”, she told The Associated Press.
“Shooter (s) left scene b4 police arrived”, he said in the tweet shortly after 8 p.m.
Authorities in Florida are investigating a fire at a mosque that was attended by the gunman in the deadly Orlando nightclub shooting.
At least four people were killed on Saturday morning at a mall in the USA state of Washington.
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The man was armed with a rifle and was seen walking towards a major road after fleeing the mall. It wasn’t clear if more than one gunman was involved.
