By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-01 04:37:17 | Updated at 2024-11-01 06:32:32
1 hour ago
One person died and at least two others were injured when a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall in Washington state, according to police.
The shooting occurred Thursday evening at Vancouver Mall, and police are asking people to avoid the area as they conduct an investigation.
The Vancouver Police Department initially wrote on X that they were responding to a 'disturbance' but later confirmed that it was in fact a shooting.
'There is currently no active threat inside the mall and police are making contact with people who were sheltering in place inside the mall,' the police department wrote around 8:30pm PST. 'Anyone that has been sheltering in place inside the mall can leave through any open exit.'
The two known surviving victims were transported to a local hospital, according to police, but their condition wasn't divulged.
Pictured: The Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, Washington
The Vancouver Fire Department told KGW8 that they dispatched four to five units to the mall after they got word of the shooting. One person already died by the time they made it.
As of 9 pm PST, Vancouver police said they were still working to clear the mall and make contact with anyone still inside.
A reunification area was set up outside the Hobby Lobby for people who got separated amid the chaos.
Vancouver, not to be confused with the city in Canada, is a city in Clark County with a population of nearly 200,000 people. It is directly across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.
The Vancouver Mall, where the shooting occurred, is an indoor shopping complex with stores such as Gold's Gym, H&M, JCPenney, Macy's, AMC, Hobby Lobby, Round One, and Old Navy.
It remains unclear where in the mall the shooting took place.
The Columbian, an outlet based in Clark County, reported that the mall was hosting trick-or-treating for all ages from 5 to 8pm PST.
The newspaper also spoke to two people at the mall, neither of who witnessed the shooting but were forced to evacuate.
Pictured: The entrance to one of the mall's parking lots
Vancouver-native Ryan Tomlin, 18, was out in the parking lot near Macy's a little after 8pm.
Tomlin said he and his friends heard someone yelling ‘Shooter, shooter! Active shooter!'
They saw three police cars on the west end of the mall.
Gregory Iiams of Vancouver was at Round1, a bowling alley and arcade, with his wife and two kids after doing some trick-or-treating.
The family was bowling when they saw people running out of building.
'I grabbed my two kids and put them behind me,' he said.
Once outside, Iiams said he heard someone say something about an active shooter as well.
