4 people shot dead at Cascade Mall in Burlington
Seattle,Washington,Sept24:Four people were shot dead at a mall about 65 miles north of Seattle Friday night, and Washington state troopers were searching for the suspect, who fled the scene, law-enforcement officials said.
The four dead were found in Macy’s, a state law-enforcement official said. It was unknown how many people were injured.
Police said they were clearing the mall so emergency responders could get in and tend to the injured at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Wash.
Police are searching for a Hispanic male dressed in gray, last seen walking away from the mall, said Heather Axtman, a state trooper. The suspect is armed with a rifle, Sgt. Francis said on Twitter.
Four people dead after firing at Cascade Mall in Washington. pic.twitter.com/E8GjV6juxD
— ANI (@ANI_news) September 24, 2016
Police are searching for at least one shooter and are sweeping stores in the mall, Police spokesman Sergeant Mark Francis said about the shooting at the Cascade mall in Burlington, about a 100 km north of Seattle.
Francis described the shooter as a “Hispanic male wearing gray.”
Local police described the suspect as appearing between 20 to 25 years old, with a “skinny built”, black messy hair and wearing a black shirt.
The suspect was last seen walking toward the Interstate 5 highway from the mall before police arrived, Francis said, adding: “We’re actively searching for suspect, tracking leads, etc.”
The mall was being evacuated.
“EMS starting to enter to attend to injured inside Mall w/ police escort and after initial clearance,” Francis said on Twitter shortly before 8:30 pm (0330 GMT), referring to emergency medical services.
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the mall around 7 p.m., said Ms. Axtman.
The shooter’s motive is unknown at this time, she said. She also said the mall was open at the time of the shooting.
Video from the scene showed a massive police response.
One witness told a local television reporter that he was in the mall when he heard a shot that “sounded like a clap real quick and then it went again, just bang bang bang bang bang about seven, eight shots and that’s when I turned around and I just started running for safety.”
