Suspect arrested in Washington mall shooting

Arcan Cetin is suspected of entering the Cascade Mall with a rifle and shooting at people in the Macy’s department store, leaving five people dead, before fleeing the scene of what may have been a terror attack.

Police on Saturday arrested Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old immigrant from Turkey, on suspicion he carried out Friday’s deadly Washington state mall shooting after a nearly 24 hour intense manhunt.

CNN reports that state authorities said it is too early to rule out terrorism or anything else because their investigation is in its preliminary stages. Before the suspect’s arrest, an official with the FBI had told reporters there was “no evidence at this time” of a link to terrorism.

Cetin is a legal permanent resident who has been living in Oak Harbor, authorities said. He has a criminal record that includes domestic-violence assault charges.

Cetin was unarmed and was carrying a satchel with a computer in it when arrested.

“He was kind of zombie-like,” Island County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Hawley said.

Cetin is suspected of entering the Cascade Mall with a rifle and shooting at people in the Macy’s department store.

He left five people dead, four women and one man, before fleeing the scene.

“There are people waking up this morning, and their world has changed forever. The city of Burlington has probably changed forever, but I don’t think our way of life needs to change,” Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton said Saturday at a news conference.

Authorities said it appears the rifle was brought into the mall from a suspect vehicle that was there, Mount Vernon police Lt. Chris Cammock said Saturday night.

Surveillance video captured the suspect entering the mall unarmed and then recorded him about 10 minutes later entering Macy’s with a “hunting type” rifle in his hand, Cammock said.

Authorities did not say how the suspect may have obtained the weapon — whether he retrieved it from outside or picked it up in the mall — but they believe he acted alone. The weapon was recovered at the scene.

By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report.