“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.
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The mall was evacuated, police swarmed the area and medics rushed to the scene after the mall was initially placed on lock-down.
Steve Sexton, the mayor of Burlington, described the shooting as a “senseless act”.
A man and four women were killed, including a 16-year-old who had survived cancer as a young girl, according to U.S. media reports.
Authorities announced earlier that the suspect had been apprehended on Saturday evening.
The gunman opened fire with a rifle in the makeup section of a Macy’s department store, killing four women and a man, police said.
The Seattle Times said Skagit County court records show three such charges for the 20-year-old in both Burlington, Washington, and Island County, with the victim identified as Cetin’s stepfather. “We could certainly use the community’s help”.
Residents of Burlington – an agricultural community of about 8,000 people about 60 miles north of Seattle – were anxious and afraid.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation official told reporters there was “no evidence at this time” of a link to terrorism.
News of the shooting spread through the mall and Ms Lara tried to find her daughter but was unable to do so.
He had been arrested once before in the county for assault, Hawley said.
It took hours for teams to search the 434,000-square-foot (40,000-square-meter) mall late Friday night. They escorted shoppers and workers who had sheltered in place outside.
Authorities had said that a rifle had been found at the scene. Police also reviewed surveillance footage from other nearby businesses and were able to identify a suspect vehicle.
“I’ve never been so terrified in my life”, she said.
“At the corner of 7th Avenue NE and Oak Harbor Road, I saw an individual walking northbound on the sidewalk and I instantly recognized that this is the person that I just viewed on my computer”, said Lt. Mike Hawley, Island County Sheriff’s Office, at a press conference Saturday night.
Anxious residents feared for their safety Saturday.
The Seattle Times reports that one of the victims in the deadly Washington state mall shooting is a 16-year-old girl.
“I’m nervous. I don’t know if we’ll be going back there. It’s too scary”, she said referring to the mall.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee sent his condolences to the families of the victims and prayers to those injured.
“We urge residents to heed all safety and detour warnings”.
“Follow detour warnings, stay close to friends and loved ones as we await more information and, hopefully, news of the suspect’s capture”, he tweeted.
The attack follows a series of violent outbursts at shopping centres across the United States, including the stabbing of nine people at a Minnesota centre last weekend. It features J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, and Macy’s stores, among other stores, restaurants and a movie theater.
(AP Photo/Stephen Brashear). Emergency personnel stand in front of an entrance to the Cascade Mall at the scene of a shooting where several people were killed Friday, Sept. 23, 2016, in Burlington, Wash.
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Cammock said police have so far interviewed around 20 people about the shooting.
