KING-TV, Seattle

SEATTLE — A shooter killed three women at Cascade Mall in Burlington Friday night, according to Washington State Patrol.

One woman has non-life threatening injuries and one man has life-threatening injuries. The man has been transported to Harborview Medical Center.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the shooting occurred at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Wash., about 65 miles north of Seattle.

Sgt. Mark Francis tweeted that the suspect left the scene before police arrived.

The suspect is believed to be a Hispanic man wearing a black shirt. He was last seen walking towards Interstate 5 from the mall, and officials believe he is armed with a rifle.

Law enforcement encouraged residents to avoid the area while the search continued and to report suspicious activity to authorities.

Francis said emergency responders were entering the mall to attend to injured people inside. It wasn't clear how many people were hurt.

The Cascade Mall is an enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1990, according to the mall’s website. It features J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, and Macy’s stores, among other stores, restaurants and a movie theater.

Skagit County Department of Emergency Management tweeted a photo of the suspect inside a store. Officials believe he is armed with a rifle:

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives said it was also responding to incident in Burlington. EMS planned to transport survivors to His Place Church near the mall.

A man who called himself Armando, who works at the mall, was getting a coffee and heading to Macy's to use the restroom when the shooting happened. He said he saw two girls and a man run out of the Macy's before he heard the shots.

"I was kind of curious of why they just ran, and the girls said, ‘Gun,’ and I hear a shot," Armando said. "It sounded like a clap and next thing you know another shot and bang, bang, bang, bang."

Armando said he heard seven or eight shots, and he dropped what he had in his hand and ran to the T-Mobile store to hide. He called police and waited to be escorted out.

"I’ve never been scared like that in my life, and people wouldn’t think it would happen," Armando said. "It randomly just happens."

Another witness shared the experience on Twitter:

Stephanie Bose, a restaurant employee near the mall, told the Associated Press she locked the doors to the restaurant immediately as people were frantically screaming upon hearing the news of the incident.

Gov. Jay Inslee released a state expressing his condolences and prayers to those affected by the shootings.

“Tragedy has struck in Washington tonight,” Inslee said in a statement on Twitter. "Trudi and I send our condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for anyone injured. Stay close to friends and loved ones as we await more information and, hopefully, news of the suspect's capture."

Contributing: Charles Ventura from Los Angeles