Five deaths were the result of the shooting that occurred Friday at the Cascade Mall in Washington. It happened minutes after surveillance footage showed a man entering in Macy’s at Burlington but later he opened fire with a rifle. The suspect is currently at large, and the police are trying to find him.
There were approximately 10 gunshots that killed four women at the scene. A male was shot, but he died from his injuries once translated to the Harborview Medical Center. Currently, the authorities don’t link the attack with terrorist groups. But they are worried another disgraceful event can happen since they don’t know where the responsible is or his intentions.
“We are still actively looking for the shooter,” Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis said at a news conference. “Stay indoors, stay secure.”
Shooter at large
The suspect walked into Macy’s at the Cascade Mall on Friday, and minutes later he opened fire. According to the cameras, the suspect is a dark-skinned man in his twenties, dressed in black with a Hispanic appearance. He didn’t seem to have a car since he fled on foot before the authorities arrived at the crime scene. The police department has released and distributed a blurry security picture of him captured by the cameras at the mall to help in the identification process. It is also considered he might have been headed to the interstate highway soon after he shot dead five people at the make-up department in Macy’s.
Authorities believe that he was acting solo, but his motives are not clear, and they also dare to say that he was not specifically targeting the victims.
“Here is the shooter. We believe just one shooter. Notify authorities if you see him. Armed with rifle” posted Sargent Francis via Twitter.
After the tragedy, the police set 11 search teams and two K-9 units to clear store by store the 434,000-square-foot mall in Burlington which is located about 65 miles north of Seattle after the mall was lockdown around 7 p.m. yesterday. At 2:11 a.m. this Saturday it was informed that around 90% of the search in the building was achieved.
The FBI is also assisting local law enforcement, and though there is a volatile situation the FBI stated that no information suggest another attack in Washington will take place.
The words from the witnesses
Going to the mall is usually a recreational activity for some individuals or families. The Cascade Mall opened in 1990, according to its website and It features several important stores such as J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, and Macy’s, restaurants and a movie theater. You are likely to find a sale or a great movie in it, but what you never expect to find there is a shooting attack. Stephanie Bose, assistant general manager at Johnny Carino’s – an Italian restaurant located near to the Macy’s department – was working that night. She told that as soon as she heard the gunshots she locked the doors of the restaurant. She said: “it was frantic.”
Joe Zavala is a citizen from Blaine who was just drinking a cup of coffee when he heard the shots. He said he saw a man pointing a hunting-like gun to people, he got up amazed and got a little closer to see what was happening, and later the gunman saw him, and he ran away as fast as he could. Once it all had happened, he went back to the make-up department at Macy’s to find his wife, and he looked at the people lying on the floor including two of the dead women.
“It all happened so fast,” said Zavala. “I felt helpless because I couldn’t do anything,” he added.
Interview with Cascade Mall shooting witness on #komonews: pic.twitter.com/t7HuD3w9Na
— KOMO News (@komonews) September 24, 2016
Tari Caswell was inside a Macy’s dressing room while it all happened, she told the authorities that she heard around eight “balloon-popping” shots. She decided to stay there quietly, even though she heard a lady crying for help. She was later assisted by a man, and they went out of Macy’s.
The people went running outside the mall. There are approximately 20 potential witnesses; they were driven by the police on a bus for investigation. The authorities also asked people to avoid the Cascade Mall surroundings. As well, they said the stores of the mall and the roads around it would remain closed. Though highways will continue to function.
Governor Jay Inslee also pronounced about the incident late Friday expressing its grievance and condolences to those affected by the attack.
“Tragedy has struck in Washington tonight,” Inslee wrote on Twitter. “Trudi and I send our condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for anyone injured. Stay close to friends and loved ones as we await more information and, hopefully, news of the suspect’s capture.”
Source: Detroit Free Press