Police hunt gunman who murdered 5, including 4 women, at Washington state mall.
(FOX)- Police were searching for a gunman who killed four women and a man at a Washington state mall Friday before fleeing the area.
Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis said police were searching for a Hispanic man wearing black and armed with a rifle who was last seen walking toward Interstate 5 near the Cascade Mall in Burlington.
“Stay indoors, stay secure,” Francis said at a news conference.
The male victim was airlifted to a Seattle hospital with critical injuries. Washington State Patrol Trooper Heather Axtman told “Fox & Friends” Saturday morning that the man had died.
Authorities initially said four people were killed, then said three were dead, before revising the number again late Friday. Francis said the number fluctuated as authorities searched the 434,000-square-foot mall. The sergeant said the victims were shot in the makeup department of the mall’s Macy’s store at approximately 7 p.m. local time.
Authorities released a surveillance image of the suspect walking through the store and holding a rifle. Francis said police did not know the gunman’s motive and could not say whether he targeted the victims. He said the ages of the victims appeared to range from their 20s to elderly, but had no further identifying information.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that many questions remain but state patrol and local law enforcement are on the scene working swiftly to locate the shooter and clear the area.