BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — Authorities in Washington state have identified the suspect in Friday night’s deadly mall shooting as 20-year-old Arcan Cetin, a Turkish immigrant.
Cetin is suspected of opening fire at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, Friday night, killing four females and a male before fleeing.
Law enforcement staged a massive search over more than 20 hours for the suspect and eventually arrested him.
Island County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Hawley said he spotted Cetin Saturday evening in Oak Harbor, Washington, from a patrol car and immediately recognized him as the suspect.
Authorities say Cetin said nothing when he was apprehended and was “zombie-like.”
One of the victims in the shooting is 16-year-old Sarai Lara who had survived cancer as a young girl and was a happy student.
Her mother Evangelina Lara told the newspaper through a translator that she was shopping Friday night with Sarai and her younger sister, but they split up.
She says Sarai went to Macy’s looking for pants. News of the shooting spread through the mall, and Lara tried to get to her daughter but was unable to do so.
Lara says police confirmed at 2 a.m. Saturday that her daughter was among the five people killed.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
