The lone suspect in the fatal shooting of five people in a Washington state mall is in custody after a nearly 24-hour manhunt, authorities said early Sunday.
Four women and one man died in the shooting Friday night at a Macy’s store at the Cascade Mall in Burlington.
The victims’ identities have not been released.
Authorities arrested Arcan Cetin, 20, Saturday night as he walked down the street near his residence in Oak Harbor, Washington.
When officers confronted him, he did not run, he just froze and complied, said Lt. Mike Hawley of the Island County Sheriff’s Office. Cetin was not armed at the time of his arrest.
“He said nothing,” Hawley said. “Just kind of zombie-like.”
Motive unclear
While more details emerged on the suspect after his arrest Saturday night, the motive remains unknown.
Cetin immigrated from Turkey and is a legal permanent resident of the United States, authorities said. It’s unclear when he moved to the US.
State authorities said it’s 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.
Authorities say Cetin walked into the mall, about 65 miles north of Seattle, and opened fire with a rifle Friday night. He allegedly fled the mall afterward, sending more than 24 law enforcement agencies on a manhunt across the state.
Authorities collected evidence from the mall overnight Friday and all day Saturday as the bodies were removed from the premise. Eventually, they identified his vehicle by matching information received from a tip with surveillance footage obtained from local business.
‘Devastating loss’
Authorities declined to comment on the type of weapon used or his mental health, citing the ongoing investigation. They did, however, say Cetin had been arrested once in the past year for simple assault.
Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton called the shooting a “devastating loss” of five treasured members of the small community.
“That was us in that mall last night –any one of us at any time,” Sexton said. “It changed those families forever. … It changed our community forever.”
Suspect appears in court Monday
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee praised the hundreds of law enforcement personnel involved with capturing Cetin in less than 24 hours. He noted that the entire state of Washington stood with Burlington—and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
“Passivity in the face of this scourge of violence is unacceptable,” he said.
In the coming days, authorities said they planned to flesh out the timeline of Cetin’s alleged actions. They will also execute a number of search warrants in an effort to compile further evidence.
Prosecutors have not charged Cetin in the shooting. He’s in the process of being booked into jail, and will make a court appearance Monday.
