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 in custody, Vancouver police said about 10 p.m. Thursday.
The mall was packed about 7:30 p.m. Thursday with people trick-or-treating at mall shops, many in costume, when shots were fired on the second floor. Hundreds fled, ending up in the parking lot, while others sheltered in place.
According to Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp, the suspect shot one person in the food court and then fired more shots that hit two other people. Arriving officers found one person dead and two injured.
They were taken to area hospitals. There is no word on their conditions.
Kapp said at a 9:40 p.m. press conference that there is no active threat at the mall and that officers were still systematically clearing the shopping center, which they expected to finish around 11 p.m. Detectives are reviewing video from inside the mall to identify the suspect or suspects.
Kapp did not have any other details about the suspect.
Vancouver police’s Major Crimes Unit is taking the lead on the investigation. The agency does not know if the shooting was targeted or random.
Kapp didn’t believe any children were injured.
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.
“Anyone that has been sheltering in place inside the mall can leave through any open exit. Anyone with information on this investigation is asked to call the VPD Tip Line at 360-487-7399,” Vancouver police said on Twitter.
Vancouver police have asked that people avoid the area. The Washington State Patrol, Clark and Cowlitz County sheriff’s offices, Longview and Kelso police, and SWAT have also responded. Dozens of squad cars encircled the mall with their lights flashing as officers secured all exits.
Anyone who was separated from their party was asked to congregate outside Hobby Lobby.
Ryan Tomlin, 18, of Vancouver was still wearing bowling shoes after fleeing to the parking lot outside Macy’s a little after 8 p.m. He had been bowling with friends at Round1.
“I threw the first ball and we hear ‘Shooter, shooter! Active shooter!'” he said. The group of 18- and 19-year-olds wasn’t sure it was real until they headed outside near the west end of the mall and saw three police cars.
Vancouver police initially secured the food court on the second floor of the 880,000-square-foot shopping center, 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive, and locked down the mall.
Gregory Iiams of Vancouver and his wife took their two children to the the all-ages trick-or-treating event the mall hosted from 5 to 8 p.m. After his 4-year-old daughter tired of trick-or-treating, the family went to Round1 to play games. People started streaming through to the exit. Initially, he was upset that they were pushing and shoving. Then he heard someone yell, “Active shooter!”
“I grabbed my two kids and put them behind me,” he said.
Vancouver Mall is owned by Centennial Real Estate.
