Vancouver Mall will reopen at 3 p.m., one day after one person was killed and two were injured in a chaotic Halloween night shooting in the second-level food court.
According to Vancouver police, a suspect shot an adult male in the food court about 7:30 p.m. and then fired more shots that hit two people. Arriving officers found one person dead and two injured.
The identity of the dead man and his age have not yet been confirmed, according to a Friday morning police statement. The two people who were injured, both men in their 30s or 40s, were treated at an area hospital and released.
The shooting suspect was wearing a Halloween mask — described as a Ghost Face Killer mask from the “Scream” movie franchise — and escaped from the mall, according to police. He remains at large.
“Detectives believe the shooting was a targeted attack. The two individuals who were injured were not believed to be intended targets, but rather were just in close proximity to where the shooting occurred,” Vancouver police said in the Friday morning statement.
Vancouver police’s Major Crime Unit is taking the lead on the investigation.
On Thursday night, Clark County social media groups lit up with stories about people fleeing the mall, employees pulling panicked shoppers into stores and closing and barricading gates to keep people safe. Many shoppers, some at the mall for it’s trick-or-treating event, sheltered in place, which police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said was appropriate in the situation.
“We are deeply saddened by this event and stand united with the community as we express our concern for the victims and their families and friends. We are also very grateful for the quick action taken by the shopping center security team and the Vancouver Police Department in securing the mall following the incident,” Vancouver Mall Senior General manager said Friday morning. “Our shopping center has a long history in the Clark County community, and we take the safety and security of our shoppers, retailers and employees very seriously.”
Natalya Brown was working in the mall about half an hour before closing.
“We were starting to wrap up,” she said. “We heard a loud sound. I knew it was gunfire — seven to eight rounds. People started running.”
Brown said she and her co-workers started pulling people into the store and then closed and barricaded the gates just after 7:30 p.m. They were locked in until about 9 p.m. when police made contact.
One mother called The Columbian shortly before 10 p.m. because her daughter was still in the Victoria’s Secret store and couldn’t find the emergency exit to leave the mall. Store employees kept the gate closed until police cleared the store.
Kapp said police were going store-to-store in the roughly 880,000-square-foot shopping center which houses more than 100 stores at 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive. They had expected to complete the search about 11 p.m.
Police asked anyone with information to call the department tip line at 360-487-7399.
Anyone who may have left personal property at the mall can contact security to arrange to pick up items today.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story had incorrect information about the hours the mall will be open today.
