Deadly shooting at Vancouver mall was targeted, suspect wore Halloween mask: police

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — Detectives are continuing to investigate a shooting at a Vancouver mall on Halloween night and say the attack was targeted and that the suspect was wearing a Halloween mask.

One victim was killed and two others were injured in the incident, which occurred around 7:30 p.m. The shooting took place in the mall’s food court, and the mall itself was filled with young trick-or-treaters and others celebrating the holiday. .

Callers reported that one person had shot another person in the food court and fired several times, with the bullets striking two other people. Police say the suspect was wearing a “Halloween-style” mask at the time of the shooting,

The victim, who died at the scene, was also an adult male whose exact age and identity have yet to be confirmed.

PRE-COVERING:1 dead, 2 injured in Vancouver Mall shooting, suspect not identified, police say

Two victims are adult men aged 30 and 40. Both received non-life-threatening injuries, were treated and released from the hospital. No other victims have been reported.

Detectives believe the shooting was a targeted attack on the man who was killed and the two other men shot were collateral damage due to proximity. The suspect fled the scene after the shooting and has not yet been identified.

In a harrowing security video obtained by KATU, the 16-year-old Bronwyn Cruden worked in the quest room at the Vancouver Mall, sitting at the front desk for the business. Suddenly, loud gunshots ring out, and the girl rushes to the front door to lock it. She steps back out of the frame, but a moment later a group of adults, children, and babies suddenly appear at the door, knocking on the glass to be let in, while the children scream and cry.

The teenager is then seen running forward and unlocking the door, letting the group inside to safety, before locking it again and escorting everyone back out.

Witness Brianne Stoner was having fun at the mall with her family when the shooting happened. She, her family and several friends were taking a break outside Euphoria Body Piercing & Tattoo when she said they heard five or six gunshots.

“I kind of froze for a moment, thinking, ‘There’s no way.’ No way,” Stoner said.

According to her, several people ran up to them.

“There were a lot of scared mothers dragging their children behind them and all I could think was, ‘We need to run now because I don’t know where they are, they haven’t seen us yet, we need to get out, we need to hide.’ “

They ran to a nearby apartment complex and called their family to say they were all right.

Vladdi Mrushenko was with friends when they heard gunshots while eating at Panda Express. According to him, he was so scared that he jumped from the second floor to the first floor to escape.

“I had too much adrenaline. My heart was beating like crazy. I was like, I’m jumping,” he said.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerney-Ogle expressed her condolences to the victims.

“This is not what Halloween should be,” she said during the interview. “What a horrible scene all these people had. It’s not what they expected or what anyone wanted. Our hearts go out to the victim and her family. I can only imagine what they are going through right now. “

When asked about the outstanding suspect and why city police have yet to release a description, she said the suspect’s mask would likely hinder the investigation.

“When you hide behind a mask and do something as horrible as this, it could be anyone, and so anyone who knows any information can call the hotline to provide any information that they might have,” she said, adding, “If there’s dash cam footage that someone might have in their car, or our C-TRAN cameras, they’re going to use whatever they can find to see who, what, where and why, if anyone got out and what car it might be, but it’s Halloween night, so there were hundreds and hundreds of people speeding away.”

She praised the quick actions of employees of shopping centers and stores who helped the families.

In a statement, Marie Glusenkamp Perez, a Democrat who represents Southwest Washington in Congress, said those who were at the mall Thursday night should never have to experience such horror.

“I pray for the family of the deceased, those recovering from their injuries and all those affected by this horrific act of violence,” she said. “I am grateful to the local and regional emergency services who responded quickly to the scene and helped those affected, as well as the mall security and staff who acted quickly and bravely to keep people safe.”

She added that she hoped the shooter would be quickly caught and brought to justice.

Joe Kent, a Republican seeking to unseat Glusenkamp Perez this year, said he is praying for all those affected by the shooting.

“Look, we have a real problem with crime and law and order. I mean our law enforcement needs more resources,” he said.

He blamed the Democrats’ policies, saying they had “undermined law and order” and one of his top priorities was to restore law and order.

Anyone who may have left personal property in the mall can contact Vancouver Mall security to arrange for it to be picked up.

Anyone with information that may be helpful to this investigation and has not yet spoken to police is asked to call the Vancouver Police Hotline at (360) 487-7399.

The investigation is ongoing.