Video of the Cascade Mall shooting -- one in which police said shooter Arcan Cetin killed five random victims in the rural mall about an hour and 20 minutes north of downtown Seattle -- was released Friday by the Washington State Patrol.
Video of the Sept. 23, 2016, shooting was released after public disclosure requests by multiple news outlets. It shows how the shooter selected his victims, and is a key piece of evidence in the case against Cetin.
Some of the victims ran. At least one tried to confront the shooter.
It appears that those who escaped were able to only because of their distance from the shooter.
Part of the graphic footage shows two of the victims -- a woman and her elderly mother -- holding each other’s arms as they run behind a makeup counter. A third victim is crouched in the makeup counter.
The shooting suspect runs into frame and fires on all three, then puts his Ruger 10/22 on the counter and runs away.
>> Follow this link to learn about each of the five people killed in the Cascade Mall shooting.
Cetin was charged with five counts of murder and is being held on $2 million bail in Skagit County District Court. He is expected to be charged in Skagit County Superior Court by January 2017.
He could face the death penalty if Cetin is charged with aggravated first degree murder.
However, Gov. Jay Inslee, who is running for re-election and leading in polls, said in February 2014 he was suspending the use of the death penalty in Washington. Inslee said he hoped that would enable officials to "join a growing national conversation about capital punishment."
>> What goes into the death penalty decision in Washington? Who is on death row now?
Cetin was stopped for traffic incidents and was involved in domestic violence assault cases, but he had no criminal convictions. Some cases are ongoing.
Before the Cascade Mall shooting, Cetin was ordered not to possess firearms. In 2014, Cetin had no-contact orders with each parent as part of a domestic violence case.
>> Q&A: Arcan Cetin and the Cascade Mall shooting case
The gun investigators said Cetin used, a Ruger 10/22, is one of the most popular guns in the national and is used for hunting small game. It retails for about $250.
The Cascade Mall shooting came nearly two weeks after Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he would work to get assault weapons and high-capacity magazines banned in the 2017 Legislative session, which starts in January.
That proposal would not ban the basic Ruger 10/22. However, the version of the Ruger 10/22 that police said Cetin used in Cascade Mall shooting would be banned because it had a 25-round capacity.
Follow this link for a minute-by-minute recap of the Cascade Mall shooting and Cetin's arrest.
Updates on Cetin's case will be available on kiro7.com and the KIRO 7 News App, which includes a livetream link for all newscasts.
Questions and answers about the case are below.
Who is the shooting suspect?
Arcan Cetin, age 20.
Who are the victims?
An official announcement of the names is expected from the Skagit County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Family and friends have identified four of the five people killed. They are:
Sarai Lara, 16
Shayla Martin, 52
Chuck Eagan, 61
Belinda Galde, 64
Beatrice Dotson, 95
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>> Related: Cascade Mall shooting victims: Remembering the 5 people killed
Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened at the Cascade Mall, at 201 Cascade Mall Dr. in Burlington, Wash. That’s about an hour and 20 minutes north of Seattle.
When did the shooting take place?
At 6:52 p.m. on Friday, September 23, police said Cetin entered the Macy’s women’s department through the mall’s west entrance. Investigators said he shot Lara near some clothing racks, then walked toward the cosmetics counter. Police said he shot Eagan, then Galde, Dotson and Martin. The shooter left the Ruger on the cosmetics counter, exited the Macy's store through the west entrance and got into a blue four-door vehicle, surveillance video showed. The vehicle traveled north on South Burlington Boulevard near Cascade Place and was last seen that night on South Burlington Boulevard near West Fairhaven Avenue, according to court documents.
When was Cetin arrested?
Police stopped Cetin at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the corner of 7th Avenue Northeast and Oak Harbor Road in Oak Harbor, part of Island County. That’s 28.5 miles from the mall – about a 40-minute drive without traffic.
Related: Cascade Mall shooting suspect charged with 5 counts of murder
What was his motive?
Police have not described a motive. They said he does not appear to have any connection to the victims.
Where is Cetin from?
Cetin lived in Oak Harbor attended from Oak Harbor High School. On his Facebook page, Cetin said he’s from Turkey, and authorities also said he imigrated from Turkey and is a legal permanent resident.
Does Cetin have links to international terrorist organizations?
There is no evidence that the Cascade Mall shooting was a terrorist attack, said Michael Knutsen, assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle FBI office.
Why was he described as Hispanic?
In court documents released Sept. 26, police said the Hispanic description came from 911 callers who said the shooter was possibly a Hispanic man dressed in grayish clothing. Using that description, State Patrol Sgt. Mark Francis, the agency spokesman for Skagit County, tweeted about an active shooter with: “Hispanic male wearing grey. Last seen walking towards I5 from Cascade Mall Burlington.” The tweet was sent at 7:33 p.m. and was the first description given by police. The first picture of the shooting suspect was released by police at 9:12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23. Follow this link for
. KIRO 7 used that description, attributing it to police, because of the urgency of the situation at the time.
What kind of gun did he have?
A Ruger 10/22 with a 25-round magazine, according to police.
Where did he get the gun?
Cetin’s father told police he was missing his Ruger 10/22. Police said the gun used in the mall shooting was a Ruger 10/22. However, investigators have not explicitly said the gun used was Cetin’s father’s gun or talked about how the gun was obtained.
When was the shooting suspect first in court for this case?
Cetin was in Skagit County District Court shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26, for a bail hearing.
Why did the shooter get the option for bail?
District Courts in Washington must impose a bail amount. His bail was set at $2 million.
Could he bail out?
Yes, but it’s unlikely. Cetin could get a bail bondsman to post the bond, and bondsmen usually charge a non-refundable fee that is 10 percent of the bail – $200,000 in this case. For context, in the last five years, no homicide suspect in King County – the state’s largest county – has posted bond when bail is set at $1 million or more.
What happens next in court?
Charges are expected be filed in Skagit County Superior Court in January 2017. The reason charges were filed immediately in District Court is so investigators have additional time to investigate without going against Cetin’s right to a speedy trial, Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Weyrich said.
Could Cetin get the death penalty?
Weyrich was not ready to talk about potential
first-degree murder charges, which are required for the death penalty. However, on Feb. 11, 2014, Gov. Jan Inslee said he was suspending the use of the death penalty in Washington, saying he hoped it would enable officials to "join a growing national conversation about capital punishment."
Was Cetin wearing handcuffs during his first court appearance in this case?
Yes, but Skagit County District Court Judge David A. Svaren ordered they not be shown by reporters.
How did he get back to Oak Harbor?
Police said after exiting the Macy's store through the west entrance, Cetin got into his blue four-door Chevrolet Cavalier. The vehicle traveled north on South Burlington Boulevard near Cascade Place and was last seen that night on South Burlington Boulevard near West Fairhaven Avenue, according to court documents. Police have not said where they think Cetin went later or given specifics about his timeline until 6:20 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, when he was stopped by Island County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Hawley and a reserve deputy at the corner of 7th Avenue Northeast and Oak Harbor Road.
What is the suspect’s criminal history?
Cetin was stopped for traffic incidents and was involved in domestic violence assault cases, but he had no criminal convictions. Some cases are ongoing.
In October 2014, Cetin was added as a defendant in a domestic violence-related case. Also that month, Cetin was told not to possess firearms. A formal no-contact order was entered for each parent, according to court records. The dad tried to get the no-contact order lifted, but could not immediately do that, and Cetin stayed in room 17 of the Queen Ann motel in Oak Harbor. In November 2014 – the same month Cetin pleaded not guilty – his address was updated to Coupeville.
>> Related: Suspect in custody after mall shooting in Burlington, Wash.
On Dec. 2, 2014, court records show Cetin’s parents were present for a hearing to lift the no-contact requirement. A prosecutor asked about firearms and Cetin’s mother said those were removed, according to court records. A day later at a separate hearing, a judge granted a motion to cancel the no-contact order.
As the case continued in 2015, additional counseling was recommended, court records show. They also show that case was tracked with a separate Island County case involving another alleged victim.
As part of that misdemeanor fourth-degree assault case, Cetin was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation in August 2015. The evaluation was completed as of March 2016, according to court records.
There also were questions in the court file about cannabis use. But last April a judge asked how that related to his mental health evaluation, saying it was not a mental health issue.
In May, a judge approved deferred prosecution in that assault case – meaning Cetin was not immediately convicted and wouldn't be if he followed terms of the deferment. He was ordered not to have alcohol or drugs as part of the deferment.
As of Aug. 25, 2016, Cetin was in compliance with weekly sessions for mental health counseling. He complied with the alcohol assessment, according to court records, and he had a deferred prosecution review for the case scheduled for 2018.
Cox Media Group
