Police capture gunman in shooting at Cascade mall in Burlington that killed 5.
Burlington, Washington:
A suspect in the fatal shooting of five people at a Washington state mall was taken into custody on Saturday, Washington State Patrol spokesman Keith Leary said in a telephone interview.
The Washington State Patrol in a message on Twitter also confirmed a person had been taken into custody.
The suspect entered the Cascade Mall in Burlington, around 65 miles (105 km) north of Seattle, and began shooting at about 7 pm local time on Friday in the cosmetics section of a Macy's department store, police said.
Police had described the suspect on Twitter as a Hispanic male, initially walked into the shopping center without the rifle but surveillance video later caught him brandishing the weapon, said Lt Chris Cammock of the Mount Vernon Police Department at briefing on Saturday.
When asked why police had described the suspect as Hispanic, Cammock told reporters he believed those who saw the photo made the statement based on his dark complexion.
Authorities released a grainy photo of the suspect taken by a surveillance camera. It shows a young male in his late teens or mid-20s with short dark hair, dressed in dark shorts and T-shirt and carrying a rifle.
The rifle was later recovered at the mall, said Cammock, who is commander of the Skagit County Multi-Agency Response Team.
Four women were killed in the rampage, which police believe was carried out by a lone gunman. Later a man who was seriously wounded in the shooting died at a local hospital. None of the victims were identified.
Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton's voice trembled as he noted that the randomness of gun violence in America -- which causes an estimated 30,000 deaths a year -- had hit his small town.
"This was a senseless act, the world knocking on our doorstep. It came to our little community," Sexton said.
Authorities offered no information about a possible motive for the attack, which followed a series of violent outbursts at shopping centers across the United States, including the stabbing of nine people at a Minnesota center last weekend.
The shooting came amid fierce debate in America over gun control laws. It is a hot issue on the campaign trail ahead of the November 8 presidential election.
"We are devastated by the tragic events that occurred last night at Cascade Mall," Macy's said in a statement on its Facebook page Saturday.
"We are working closely with local law enforcement authorities as the investigation continues to unfold."
At a vigil held for the victims Saturday morning in Burlington's Maiben Park, Kelly Couture, who exited the mall through a Target store as the chaos was unfolding, told The Seattle Times there were "just sirens and people were yelling and running out of the building."
The mall was closed Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims.
The Washington State Patrol in a message on Twitter also confirmed a person had been taken into custody.
Gunman captured tonight by authorities, Details forthcoming, Press Conference tonight at 1800 Continental Pl. Time TBA
— Sgt. Mark Francis (@wspd7pio) September 25, 2016
The suspect entered the Cascade Mall in Burlington, around 65 miles (105 km) north of Seattle, and began shooting at about 7 pm local time on Friday in the cosmetics section of a Macy's department store, police said.
Police had described the suspect on Twitter as a Hispanic male, initially walked into the shopping center without the rifle but surveillance video later caught him brandishing the weapon, said Lt Chris Cammock of the Mount Vernon Police Department at briefing on Saturday.
Washington state patrol released the photo of the suspect today.
Authorities released a grainy photo of the suspect taken by a surveillance camera. It shows a young male in his late teens or mid-20s with short dark hair, dressed in dark shorts and T-shirt and carrying a rifle.
Images of shooter #CascadeMallShooting pic.twitter.com/hYGjH247fp
— Sgt. Mark Francis (@wspd7pio) September 24, 2016
The rifle was later recovered at the mall, said Cammock, who is commander of the Skagit County Multi-Agency Response Team.
Four women were killed in the rampage, which police believe was carried out by a lone gunman. Later a man who was seriously wounded in the shooting died at a local hospital. None of the victims were identified.
Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton's voice trembled as he noted that the randomness of gun violence in America -- which causes an estimated 30,000 deaths a year -- had hit his small town.
"This was a senseless act, the world knocking on our doorstep. It came to our little community," Sexton said.
Authorities offered no information about a possible motive for the attack, which followed a series of violent outbursts at shopping centers across the United States, including the stabbing of nine people at a Minnesota center last weekend.
The shooting came amid fierce debate in America over gun control laws. It is a hot issue on the campaign trail ahead of the November 8 presidential election.
"We are devastated by the tragic events that occurred last night at Cascade Mall," Macy's said in a statement on its Facebook page Saturday.
"We are working closely with local law enforcement authorities as the investigation continues to unfold."
At a vigil held for the victims Saturday morning in Burlington's Maiben Park, Kelly Couture, who exited the mall through a Target store as the chaos was unfolding, told The Seattle Times there were "just sirens and people were yelling and running out of the building."
The mall was closed Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims.
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