Updated Sunday, Sept. 25, 10:40 a.m. EDT: The man accused of fatally shooting five people in a Burlington, Wash., mall is being held without bond and faces five counts of first-degree murder, USA Today reports.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Arcan Cetin of Oak Harbor, Wash., was taken into custody Saturday night in Oak Harbor, Wash., about 30 miles north of the Cascade Mall. Police say that tips from the public helped them arrest Cetin on Saturday. They distributed blurry photos of the suspect online and asked the public for help identifying him.
No evidence pointed to terrorism, authorities said.
The exact motive behind the shooting that killed four women and a man in a Macy's store remains unclear, but authorities say that Cetin’s ex-girlfriend used to work at the store.
Earlier:
Four women and a man were killed in yet another mass shooting, this time at a mall north of Seattle on Friday night. Police confirm that the lone gunman, armed with a rifle, was able to walk away from the melee and is still at large.
The New York Times reports that the unidentified shooter killed four women in the cosmetics department of Macy’s at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Wash. A man who was shot and taken to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle later died there.
Komo News reports that the FBI has joined state police in the search. Authorities released a blurry surveillance picture of the suspect. He is described by police as a Hispanic man wearing black or gray clothing. The gunman was last seen walking toward Interstate 5.
His motive or relationship to the victims, if any, is unclear, police said.
“We’re doing everything we can to find this person. Stay vigilant. If you see something, just like they say, say something,” said state Patrol Sgt. Mark Francis. “Avoid the area. If you live close to the area, stay inside—lock your doors.”
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement Friday night saying, “Tragedy has struck in Washington tonight. Our hearts are in Burlington where a shooter has taken the lives of at least four people.”
The names of the victims were not immediately released.
Read more at the New York Times and Komo News.