Active 4 dead at Cascade mall shooting in Washington

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4 dead at Cascade mall shooting in Burlington, Washington

There is an active shooter situation in Burlington, Washington, where police report four people dead at the Cascade mall. A lock down is also in effect following gunshots reported in a Macy's store.

Four people are reported dead after a shooting at the Cascade mall, according to a Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis. He added that the number of shooters is unknown.

Skagit County police and fire scanner audio described the suspect as appearing between 20 to 25 years old, with a "skinny build," black messy hair and wearing a black shirt.

Sgt. Francis previously tweeted an "active shooter description," detailing an "Hispanic male wearing grey. Last seen walking towards I5 from Cascade Mall burlington."

A person identifying as the shooter has called into police, and crisis negotiators are being assembled, according to KIRO.

https://www.rt.com/usa/360469-cascade-m ... urlington/

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The incident happened just before 7 p.m. PT on Friday when officers were called to multiple reports of shots being fired in the area of Macy's at the Cascade Mall, which is located in Burlington. Only few details were immediately available.

Customers at the mall reported being put on lockdown and said they were hiding inside the stores. A large number of officers rushed to the scene and surrounded the mall. Roads in the area have been closed by police.

Sgt. Mark Francis, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, confirmed that at least four people had been killed. An unknown number of people have been injured and emergency services entered the mall at around 8:15 p.m. to start treating the victims.

Sgt. Francis said the shooter may have fled the mall, though officers are still working to clear the scene and continue to treat it as an active shooter situation. The suspect who may have fled has been described as a skinny Hispanic male, between 20 and 25 years old, with black hair and a black shirt.

That person was last seen running towards Interstate 5, which is directly adjacent to the Cascade Mall.

People are urged to avoid the area, the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management said.

Details about a possible motive for the shooting were not immediately known.

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