Shooter Caught After Killing 5 In Washington State Mall

On Saturday, police arrested a 20-year-old suspect in connection with a shooting at a Washington state mall that left five people dead, reports The Seattle Times. The suspected shooter was identified as Arcan Cetin. He was arrested while walking along a street in Oak Harbor, WA. Officials noted that the suspect has not yet been formally charged. During a news conference, officials said there was no evidence that pointed to terrorism. Island County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Hawley, who apprehended the suspect, said during a news conference that he spotted the suspected shooter walking down the street and was able to arrest him without incident. Hawley said, "He said nothing. He was kind of zombie-like." The shooting took place on Friday night at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, WA. Security footage showed the suspect entering the mall, although no weapon was seen. Footage from about 10 minutes later showed him reentering Macy's with a rifle before firing multiple shots.

Five people were killed during the rampage. The youngest victim was 16-year-old Sarai Lara, a sophomore at Mount Vernon High School and a cancer survivor. According to the Seattle Times, her mother described her as a "happy, responsible, driven student." Lara was with her older sister, Evangelina Lara, but they split up to go to different stores. Family members identified both 64-year-old Belinda Galde and her mother, 95-year-old Beatrice Dotson, as victims of the shooting. The Seattle Times reports that Shayla Martin, a 52-year-old from Mount Vernon who worked as a makeup artist at Macy’s, was another victim. Her sister told The Herald that Martin was "so sweet." She added that Martin was "very independent. She wanted to make her own way. She didn’t want to rely on anyone else.” Another victim was identified as Chuck Eagan. His aunt told the Seattle Times that he was walking through the mall with his wife when the shooting began. Eagan and his wife began running, but his wife fell down. As Eagen helped his wife, he was shot. On Saturday night, dozens attended a vigil held for the victims at Central United Methodist Church in Sedro-Woolley, WA. They lit five candles on a table in front of the church, one for each victim.

According to the Seattle Times, Skagit County court records show a criminal record for the suspected shooter that included three domestic-violence assault charges — with the suspect’s stepfather as the victim. The shooter was also previously arrested for drunken driving.