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UPDATE: Mall shooting suspect “zombie-like” when arrested; five killed

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BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — The Latest on a fatal shooting at a mall in Washington state (all times local):

BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say the suspect in the deadly Washington state mall shooting said nothing when he was apprehended and was “zombie-like.”
Island County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Hawley said he spotted 20-year-old Arcan Cetin Saturday evening in Oak Harbor, Washington, from a patrol car and immediately recognized him as the suspect.

Hawley said at a news conference that his office had received information that Cetin, who is from Oak Harbor, was in the area. Hawley said Cetin was unarmed: “He said nothing. He was kind of zombie-like.”

A gunman opened 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.

Authorities say Cetin had a previous arrest for simple assault and had immigrated from Turkey. At a news conference Saturday night, Lt. Chris Cammock of the Mount Vernon Police Department said the suspect was a “legal, permanent resident of the United States.”

The Seattle Times cites Skagit County court records showing three domestic-violence assault charges for 20-year-old Arcan Cetin in both Burlington, Washington, and Island County, with the victim identified as Cetin’s stepfather. The newspaper reports Cetin also was arrested for drunken driving.

Court records show Cetin was told by a judge on Dec. 29 that he was not to possess a firearm, the newspaper reported.

However, the stepfather urged the judge not to impose a no-contact order, saying his stepson was “going through a hard time.”

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7:31 p.m.

Authorities say the suspect in a deadly shooting at a Washington state mall shooting is in custody.

The Skagit County Department of Emergency Management said via Twitter Saturday evening that the suspect had been captured. No other details were immediately available. A news conference was set for Saturday night.

A gunman opened 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, initially described by witnesses as a young Hispanic male wearing black.

Authorities had said that a rifle had been found at the scene.

The motive was unknown for the shooting about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Seattle. The FBI was assisting local authorities, but it said there was no evidence to point to terrorism.

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6:10 p.m.

Dozens of people attended a prayer service for the victims of a deadly mall shooting in Washington state.

The Saturday evening gathering was held at Central United Methodist Church in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. The Rev. Cody Natland lit five candles on a table in front of the church, one for each victim.

Authorities say a gunman opened fire at Cascade Mall in nearby Burlington Friday night, killing four females and a male.

No identities have been released yet, and a search for the gunman continued.

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2:50 p.m.

Relatives and friends of victims in a deadly mall shooting in Washington state have gathered at a church.

Red Cross counselors and a golden retriever therapy dog were on hand Saturday at His Place Community Church in Burlington, Washington.

Authorities say a gunman opened fire at Cascade Mall Friday night, killing four females and a male.

No identities have been released yet, and a search for the gunman continued.

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2:10 p.m.

Noel Cuevas says he was eating dinner with his family at a Washington state mall when a gunman opened fire, killing five people.

He said Saturday that he saw people running and a woman told them to evacuate. He described a chaotic scene Friday night as people ran and businesses shut their doors.

Cuevas grabbed his 5-year-old daughter and ran with his wife outside and across the street.

He said everyone was terrified.

The 39-year-old Cuevas later returned to Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, to retrieve his truck parked near a cordoned off area.

He said he went home Friday and made sure his doors were locked because the gunman remained on the loose.

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11:22 a.m.

A woman who was inside a Washington state mall when a gunman opened fire – fatally shooting five – says she’s “thankful for my life this morning.”

Nineteen-year-old Joanne Burkholder was watching the movie “The Magnificent Seven” in a theater at the Cascade Mall on Friday night when police and security came in and told them they needed to evacuate.

She said she heard screaming as they were escorted out into the parking lot in Burlington.

She said: “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”

Authorities say a gunman who killed four females and a male in the Macy’s store at the mall was still on the loose Saturday.

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10:30 a.m.

Worried residents fear for their safety as authorities search for a gunman who killed five people at a mall in Washington state.

Maria Elena Vasquez of Burlington attended a community gathering Saturday following the Friday evening slayings at the city’s Cascade Mall. She said “it’s nerve-wracking” and she’s nervous about taking her 7-year-old daughter to her soccer game.

Police said early Saturday they didn’t know the gunman’s identity and urged the community for help in identifying him.

Burlington is a city of about 8,000 people about 60 miles north of Seattle.

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9:21 a.m.

Authorities say a gunman who fatally shot five people at a Washington state mall initially entered the shopping center without a weapon, but 10 minutes later, went inside Macy’s with a rifle and opened fire.

Mount Vernon Police Lt. Chris Cammock said Saturday that authorities recovered the weapon from the scene. He described it as a “hunting type” rifle.

Cammock says officers are reconstructing the entire scene at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, scanning for evidence.

More than 200 officers from more than two dozen agencies responded to the mall following the shooting Friday evening. Four females and a male were fatally shot.

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