Tukwila: Shots erupted in a packed Seattle-area shopping mall after an apparent argument between a gunman and two other young men, killing one of the men, creating panic among shoppers and sending police on a store-to-store search for the shooter, authorities said.
The Southcentre Mall in Tukwila was locked down as police tried to find the gunman. Officer Mike Murphy, a police spokesman, said there were "thousands" of shoppers at the mall when the shooting took place yesterday just before 3:45 pm local time.
The two injured men were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Centre, where one died. Murphy said he did not know the condition of the other victim.
The gunman used a pistol and fired multiple shots, Murphy said. He said at least four or five people were detained for questioning, but none was the shooter and some had been released. He said some were "witnesses."
As police searched for the gunman, they allowed store employees and customers remaining in the mall to exit in groups, Murphy said.
After the search was completed, Murphy said the assailant "must have got out with the crowd," but police anticipated identifying the shooter "soon" and making an arrest.
The gunman and the two victims were all in their late teens or early 20s. No one else was injured, Murphy said.
SWAT teams from all over the area converged on the mall to help search for the suspect, who is believed to have gotten into an altercation with the two victims. Murphy said the shooting may have been gang related.
