VANCOUVER, Wash. — One man is dead and two are injured after a shooting at the Vancouver Mall on Thursday evening. Police are looking for the suspect who is presumed to still be armed.
The shooting appeared to be a targeted attack, Vancouver police said Friday morning. Police received a call around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday about a disturbance inside the Vancouver Mall, with possible shots fired.
Witnesses reported that someone opened fire in the mall's second-floor food court, initially hitting one person, said Kim Kapp, public affairs manager for the Vancouver Police Department. The shooter continued firing rounds, hitting at least two other people. The person who died was an adult man, Vancouver police said. The two people injured are both men between the ages of 30 and 40. They've been released from the hospital and are expected to be OK, police said.
Police said they don't believe the two people injured were targeted in the shooting, but were standing in the proximity when shots were fired.
Officers are still looking for the shooter. They said the suspect was wearing a Halloween-type mask at the time of the shooting.
After the shooting started, employees and patrons of the mall sheltered in place, which Kapp said was the "most appropriate" action to take under the circumstances.
Families were in attendance at the Vancouver Mall for a Halloween trick-or-treating event. Kapp said she didn't know how many people were there, but she wasn't aware of any children who'd been hurt.
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Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Vancouver City County released a statement saying, "Last night should have been an evening of Halloween fun at Vancouver Mall. Instead, it turned to fear as reports of shots being fired spread. We want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our community is our top priority. The Vancouver Police Department, Fire Department, and other law enforcement partners responded swiftly. As we learn more, I am hearing stories of mall employees ushering people into stores to shelter behind security doors and in back offices. Thank you for your help and bravery in keeping mall patrons safe."
They thanked mall employees who helped bring people into their stores to shelter behind security doors and in back offices.
"Thank you for your help and bravery in keeping mall patrons safe," the statement said.
Detectives are reviewing video in hopes of identifying the shooting. There is not yet a clear motive for the shooting, but it was not considered an active shooting by the time police arrived. The shooter is assumed to still be armed.
The mall was closed Friday morning and won't reopen until 3 p.m. on Friday. People were seen coming in and out of the mall in the morning, picking up items left behind inside the mall.
Vancouver Police is asking anyone with information about this incident to call their tip line at 360-487-7399.
Management for the Vancouver Mall said they couldn't comment on the details of a shooting, but did provide a statement from Tracy Peters, senior general manager:
"This evening, a shooting took place at Vancouver Mall. The center’s security team, local EMS personnel and the Vancouver Police Department provided immediate response. We are united with the community as we express our deepest concern for the victims, and we are very grateful for the quick action taken by security and local law enforcement."