One person was killed and two injured in a shooting at the Vancouver Mall food court around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police said, as shoppers described hearing shots ring out and ran for the doors while others sheltered in place.
Police received an early report that the shooter was seen dressed all in black wearing a clown mask and last seen running toward JCPenny. The shooter was still at-large late Thursdayy
A family-friendly Halloween event was happening inside the mall when police said an unidentified person in the food court area shot and killed another person and “fired other rounds that struck two other individuals.” Their conditions were unknown.
By around 8:30 p.m., police said the danger had passed. “There is currently no active threat inside the mall,” Vancouver police wrote on X at that time.
Detectives were trying to identify the shooter through video footage from the mall, located near the interchange of Interstate 205 and State Route 500, with more than 125 stores, including Macy’s, H&M, Hobby Lobby and JCPenney.
Vancouver resident Jadyn Christy was leaning on a railing on the second floor of the mall when he said “out of nowhere” he heard gunshots that made his “ears ring.” He said he heard between five and 10 gunshots. His pregnant girlfriend and her 4-year-old son and another close friend with their child were inside the Hot Topic clothing store, he said.
It was chaos,” he said.
Christy, his girlfriend with her son and their friend ran out of the mall to their car.
“People were just hanging outside and even dozens were still pouring in as I screamed, ‘Shooter! Shooter! Shooter, Run, Run!’” he said. “I ran as fast as I could to our vehicle.”
He was thankful they got out safely, but said the mall was crowded and the mall security appeared to be “overwhelmed.”
“It was supposed to be safe,” Christy said.
The mall was hosting an “evening trick-or-treating” event that started at 5 p.m. and was scheduled to last until 8 p.m.
Elliott Hunt was with friends by the Round1 Bowling & Arcade on the mall’s second floor. He said he heard two loud sounds initially coming from the direction of the food court but thought somebody had possibly dropped something really heavy.
“We all turned our heads toward the food court and looked and then there were four more shots in succession. By then, it was very clear it was gunshots,” he said.
