A 20-year-old suspect was in custody on Sunday for the killing of five people during a deadly shooting at a mall in Burlington, Washington, two days before.



Arcan Cetin of Oak Harbor, Washington, a legal permanent resident who had immigrated to the US from Turkey, was discovered “zombie-like”, police said, on Saturday evening after police responded to a tip-off following an intensive 24-hour manhunt. Cetin was unarmed at the time of his arrest, authorities said.



Although a motive for the shooting remains unclear, authorities told local media that Cetin’s ex-girlfriend had previously worked at the targeted department store but left her job months ago. The suspect had been charged three times with domestic assault against his stepfather and had been ordered by a judge not to possess a firearm, according to the Seattle Times. At a Saturday press conference, the FBI said terrorism was not a suspected motive.



The 20-year-old, who was initially described by authorities as Hispanic, was discovered by police in the city of Oak Harbor, about 30 miles from the site of the shooting. Mike Hawley, an Island County sheriff’s lieutenant, said he spotted Cetin from a patrol car Saturday and immediately recognized him.

“I literally hit my brakes, did a quick turn, I jumped out,” Hawley said. “We both jumped out with our guns, and he just froze.”

Cetin was carrying a satchel with a computer in it. “He was kind of zombie-like,” Hawley said. Jail records indicate Cetin faces five counts of first degree murder and is being held without bail but has yet to be formally charged. Authorities said Cetin was expected to appear in court on Monday.

Burlington mayor Steve Sexton said the shooting had “probably changed forever” the small city of 8,600 people which lies about 60 miles north of Seattle.



“This was a senseless act. It was the world knocking on our doorstep, and it came into our little community,” Sexton said at a press conference on Saturday.



The Seattle Times reported that one of the victims was a 16-year-old girl, Sarai Lara.



Her mother said she had survived cancer as a young girl and was a happy student. Evangelina Lara told the newspaper she was shopping on Friday night at the mall in Burlington with Sarai and her younger sister, but they split up. She said Sarai went to Macy’s looking for pants.

The Everett Daily Herald named Shayla Martin, a 52-year-old make-up artist who worked at the department store, as another victim. Authorities have not named any of the victims in public but are expected to make further comments on Monday.



On Friday, the first 911 call came in from the mall just before 7pm, police said: a man with a “hunting style rifle” was shooting at people at the makeup counter in Macy’s.

When police arrived moments later, the carnage was complete. Four people were dead and the shooter was gone, last seen walking toward Interstate 5. A fifth victim, a man, died early on Saturday as police finished sweeping the building, which measures 434,000 square feet. Police recovered the weapon at the scene.

Those who survived were still trying to process what happened as their community became the latest entry on a list of places known by the rest of world for mass shootings.



Joanne Burkholder, 19, of nearby Mount Vernon, was watching the movie The Magnificent Seven in the mall’s theater when security guards came in and told them to evacuate immediately. Dozens of panicked moviegoers gathered in the hallway, and Burkholder heard screaming as the officers escorted them to safety in a parking lot.



As she drove home later, she had to pull over because she was shaking so hard, she told the Associated Press.



“I’m just very thankful for my life this morning. I’ve never been so terrified in my life,” she said on Saturday, trying to hold back tears as she attended a community vigil. “You’d think it would happen in Everett or Seattle, but a small town of Burlington, I’d never dream something like this would happen.”

“It’s too scary. It’s too close to home,” said Maria Elena Vasquez, who attended the gathering with her husband and two young children.