Halloween turned into a nightmare for many as a person opened fire at a trick-or-treat event in Vancouver Mall, Washington. The event unfolded on Thursday, October 31, when many kids gathered at the mall for celebrations. The incident resulted in the death of one while two were injured.
According to KATU, Kim Kapp, the spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, said that the officers responded to a 911 call at around 7:30 p.m. The caller revealed that a person in the mall's food court had died, while the other two had been wounded.
Per Kapp, the injured were taken to the hospital, and their situation is unknown. The police are investigating the incident and reviewing surveillance videos to identify the suspect. The police department's statement wrote,
"Vancouver Police responded to the report of a shooting at the Vancouver Mall (8700 NE Vancouver Mall Drive). Witnesses reported that a person in the food court area shot another individual and fired other rounds that struck two other individuals. When police arrived, they located one person deceased and two other people who were injured who were transferred to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment of their injuries."
The police have also urged people "with information related to this incident" to inform them.
Netizens express shock after the deadly shooting in Vancouver mall
Several netizens shared their experience of the shooting at the mall. A Facebook user named Elliott Hunt revealed how scary it was for her and her friends as they heard the sound of gunshots. Hunt wrote,
"I was there with some friends, but we made it out ok, just super shaken. We heard the gunshots and sprinted outside. It was genuinely horrifying."
She continued, "I'm currently staying at a friend's nearby. Please please be safe out there, and check-in on your Vancouver friends and family!"
Another user mentioned that there were many kids inside the mall at the time of the shooting.
"This world is so crazy, we were just at the Vancouver mall with the kids trick or treating, I waited for my oldest son and made the trips around the mall again, so many kids there too. Well apparently we left within minutes of a shooting inside the mall....1 dead 2 others injured by the food court, we had just walked past there."
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Netizens also criticized the mall authorities for not having enough security checks at an event that included kids.
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