3 killed in shooting incident at Washington mall, gunman's location unknown

Police were actively searching for the shooter, who had posted a photo of rescue workers outside of the mall.

By REUTERS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 07:36

Updated: SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 10:01

Medics wait to gain access to the Cascade Mall after four people were shot dead in Burlington, Washington, U.S. September 24, 2016. (photo credit: REUTERS/ SGT MARK FRANCIS/WASHINGTON STATE PATROL) — Medics wait to gain access to the Cascade Mall after four people were shot dead in Burlington, Washington, U.S. September 24, 2016.

(photo credit: REUTERS/ SGT MARK FRANCIS/WASHINGTON STATE PATROL)

Three people were shot dead and two were wounded during a shooting at a mall on Friday in northwest Washington state where authorities were searching for the gunman, several media outlets reported.

Authorities intitially said on social media that four people were killed in the shooting, that occurred at about 7 p.m. local time Friday at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 65 miles (105 km) north of Seattle.

ABC News and several local media outlets reported that three, not four, people were fatally wounded. Three women were shot dead, a man was critally injured and another woman suffered non-life threatening injuries, Washington State Patrol spokesman Mark Francis told the network.

A local hospital told a CBS affiliate that it had received one casualty from the shooting. The station reported that a nearby high school football game was evacuated as a precaution.

Francis said on Twitter that police were actively searching for the shooter, who was described as a "Hispanic male wearing gray" and last seen walking toward a nearby highway away from the mall.

"Tragedy has struck in Washington tonight. Our hearts are in Burlington," Governor Jay Inslee said on Twitter.

Rescue workers were entering the mall to attend to the injured, Francis said in a Twitter post.

The shooting comes less than a week after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead. The FBI is investigating that attack as a potential act of terrorism.

NBC News reported that Washington State Patrol have said that there is no indication of terrorism in the shooting in Burlington.

Many questions remain but @wastatepatrol and local law enforcement are on the scene working swiftly to locate the shooter and clear the area
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) September 24, 2016