The 20-year-old suspect in the deadly Washington state mall shooting said nothing and appeared “zombie-like” when he was arrested by authorities almost 24 hours into an intense manhunt, authorities said.
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Washington State Patrol public information officer Sgt. Mark Francis tweeted an image of a suspect, Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old Oak Harbor, Washington, resident. The details of the arrest are not clear but some media reports suggest that it took place in Oak Harbour.
Authorities said four females, ranging in age from teens to seniors, died after the gunman opened fire in the make-up department of a Macy’s store. A helicopter, search teams and K-9 units scoured the area for the gunman in a police response that included more than 200 officers.
After the shooting, police and rescue workers worked their way through the mall, clearing stores and evacuating shoppers, some of whom locked themselves in dressing rooms.
Initially the suspect was described as Hispanic, but Hawley said that was based on initial witness statements to the Friday night shooting at a mall in Burlington, Washington.
“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”.
“This was a senseless act, the world knocking on our doorstep”.
Residents of Burlington – an agricultural community of about 8,000 people about 60 miles north of Seattle – were anxious and afraid.
The FBI said terrorism was not suspected.
On Saturday evening, a prayer service was held for the five victims at the Central United Methodist Church in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, where five candles were lit for each of the victims on a table in front of the church.
Authorities believe only one person fired the shots at the Macy’s in Cascade Mall.
“That was us in that mall last night -any one of us at any time”, Sexton said.
Skagit County coroner Hayley Thompson said she had not yet gained access to the scene to start identifying the victims.
She said she heard screaming as they were escorted out into the parking lot.
“I was kind of curious of why they just ran, and the girls said, ‘Gun, ‘ and I hear a shot”, Armando said.
Maria Elena Vasquez attended a community gathering Saturday, and she said she was nervous about taking her 7-year-old daughter to her soccer game.
“We do not have an identity on the individual yet, and we could certainly use the community’s help on that”, said Cammock.
Authorities had said that a rifle had been found at the scene. He allegedly fled the mall afterward, sending more than 24 law enforcement agencies on a manhunt across the state.
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“Probably one of the most hard moments for us last night was knowing that there were family members wondering about their loved ones in there”, Mount Vernon police Lt. Chris Cammock said.
