Arcan Cetin, the man charged with killing five people at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, about an hour and 20 minutes north of downtown Seattle, was found dead in the Snohomish County Jail on Sunday night, April 16, 2017.
He was being held on $2 million bail in a case that could have brought the death penalty.
When Cetin was on the run, more than two dozen law enforcement agencies joined the search before he was arrested. Below are details of the case and some of the frequently asked questions.
Follow this link for a
minute-by-minute recap of the Cascade Mall shooting and Cetin's arrest.
Who is the shooting suspect?
Arcan Cetin, age 20.
Who are the victims?
Sarai Lara, 16
Shayla Martin, 52
Chuck Eagan, 61
Belinda Galde, 64
Beatrice Dotson, 95
>> 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 did not immediately described a motive. They said the victims were random.
When did Cetin die?
Cetin hanged himself, said Skagit County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rosemary Kaholokula, who was handling the case. He was found in the Snohomish County Jail on Sunday night, April 16, 2017.
Where was Cetin from?
Cetin lived in Oak Harbor attended from Oak Harbor High School. On his Facebook page, Cetin said he was from Turkey, and authorities also said he immigrated from Turkey and is a legal permanent resident.
Did 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.
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.
Would the gun used at the Cascade Mall fall under the proposed weapons ban?
When was the shooting suspect first in court?
Cetin was first in Skagit County District Court shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26 for a bail hearing.
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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.
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 have bailed out?
Yes, but it was unlikely. Cetin could have had a bail bondsman post the bond, and bondsmen usually charge a non-refundable fee that is 10 percent of the bail. That would have been $200,000 in this case. For context, in the last five years, no homicide suspect in King County – the state’s largest county – posted bond when bail is set at $1 million or more.
Could Cetin get the death penalty?
[Answer from Sept. 2016]
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."
How did Cetin 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.
Will did the mall reopen?
Most of Cascade Mall reopened on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. The Macy’s reopened later that week.
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.
Cox Media Group
