Suspect on the loose after fatal mall shooting on Halloween night in Vancouver
Nov 1, 2024, 6:52 AM | Updated: 9:30 am
Stock image of activated lights atop a police vehicle. (MyNorthwest file photo)
(MyNorthwest file photo)
One person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting inside a mall in Vancouver, Washington Thursday night.
Vancouver Police said the shooting happened between 7 and 7:30 p.m. — the time officers was dispatched to the scene. The shooting took place in the mall’s food court. The mall is located at 8700 Northeast Vancouver Mall Drive.
More local crime: Members of violent U District drug trafficking ring arrested
The two who were injured in the shooting were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“As soon as we got out those stores, I started thinking about where we could hide, where would we be found?” a mall shopper who was there at the time of the shooting told KIRO Newsradio.
According to KOIN, the mall was full of families and children who came there to trick or treat.
“Terrifying. The most terrifying thing that I’ve ever seen … very scary,” a female witness who asked to remain anonymous told KOIN. “It happened so fast. There’s a lot of kids here tonight. That was my first thought. I saw dozens and dozens of kids trick or treating in the mall. I was scared for them. I could hear kids crying everywhere, kids screaming. One girl saying, ‘I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.’ She was probably eight years old.”
“All I could think is we need to run now,” another mall shopper told KIRO Newsradio.
Police told anyone who had been sheltering in place inside the mall they could leave through any open exit, but it took approximately an hour to sweep the mall before allowing any employees or patrons to leave. SWAT teams also arrived to confirm the threat was no longer on the premises.
More stories on local suspects on the loose: Accused child rapist captured in Pierce County after 2 years on the run
The suspect is still on the loose, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) during a press conference Thursday night.
Anyone with information is asked to call the VPD Tip Line at (360) 487-7399.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
