Travis L. Ward, 32, appears Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault. He is accused of killing a man and wounding two others during a Halloween shooting at the Vancouver Mall. (Becca Robbins/The Columbian)
The suspect in a Halloween shooting at Vancouver Mall followed the victim for a short time before shooting him in the back of the head at point-blank range, according to court records.
Court records do not indicate a motive for the shooting or whether the suspect and victim knew each other. But court records state Travis L. Ward, 32, donned a “Joker”-type mask shortly after entering the mall, which was hosting a trick-or-treat event.
Ward, of Vancouver, appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault.
According to a motion filed by prosecutors requesting Ward be held without bail, prosecutors also intend to file a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said Ward’s criminal history includes convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and an Oregon charge for unlawful use of a weapon in 2021.
One person is dead and two people were injured in a shooting at Vancouver Mall on Halloween night. The suspect in the shooting is not…
Judge John Fairgrieve ordered Ward be held in the Clark County Jail without bail until a bail hearing Thursday.
Law enforcement from several agencies responded to the mall at 7:28 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found a man, later identified as James Perez, on the ground in the food court with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Officers also learned two other people, identified as Brandon Leyrer and Daniel Martin, were struck by bullets, in the abdomen and the foot, respectively, court records state. They were treated at a local hospital and released by Friday.
Mall surveillance video showed a person, later identified as Ward, wearing blue track-style pants, a black hoodie and a Joker mask following Perez for a short time before shooting him in the head. Ward could then be seen firing several more rounds as Perez dropped to the ground. Ward then ran from the scene, according to the affidavit.
Perez’s girlfriend told police she and Perez went to the mall to trick-or-treat with their children. She said their son became separated from them, and they were looking for him when Perez was shot, court records state.
Investigators determined Ward was with two women and a child in a costume until just prior to the shooting, and they all left the mall together after the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Vancouver police released images of the women who were with Ward in a news release, in hopes of talking with them.
One of the women then contacted police, and she told them she is Ward’s girlfriend. They were at the mall with her child and Ward’s mother for trick-or-treating, she said, and she didn’t know why her photo was being circulated. She also said she didn’t know Ward had shot anyone, according to court records.
Investigators said based on surveillance video, it did not appear any of the women with Ward knew of the shooting, the affidavit states.
Officers were then able to locate Ward on Saturday evening at his apartment, 13906 S.E. 18th Circle, and arrested him. Investigators showed Ward the surveillance video, but they said in the affidavit Ward would not admit to the shooting or provide any explanation for shooting Perez.
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