VANCOUVER, Wash. — Children and parents hid in stores and anywhere they could find shelter when shots rang out during a trick-or-treating event Thursday night at the Vancouver Mall.
The shooting, which happened on the second floor of the mall in the food court, left one man dead and two bystanders injured. The two people who were injured, both men between the ages of 30 and 40, were treated and released from the hospital.
Police are still looking for the shooter but said there is no active threat. They said they believe the fatal shooting was a targeted attack. They also reported Friday morning that the shooter was wearing a Halloween mask. As of Friday morning, no arrests have been made.
KGW spoke to a shopper who hid with parents and their children when the shooting started.
Hector Hurtado said the mall was packed with families and children walking around in their costumes, with everyone enjoying the holiday activities. He said the festive mood quickly "flipped into a horrifying scene ... with parents lifting their children off the ground and trying to find shelter."
Hurtado said he was with about 20 other people, including parents and children, who hid inside an Old Navy store after the shooting started. He credited store employees who ushered them into a back-office area, where they waited until the SWAT team told them they could come out.
"The children were upset; they were crying. The parents were crying," he said. "There was a woman holding her baby who had left her stroller (behind), because they just had to run."
He said after they were able to leave, the scene in front of them was shocking.
"Just seeing the aftermath, all the toys and things left behind by families and strollers," he said.
Another witness said he heard the shots and was at the mall for the trick-or-treating event taking place.
He was almost moved to tears when talking about how other parents nearby jumped on his daughter to make sure she was safe.
"They made sure she was okay," said Allan Beck.
He said he and the other people stayed on the ground until the shooting stopped.
"We all waited for a collaborative 'Let's go,' and then we all just got up and left," he said.
He returned to the mall Friday to to check on mall employees and others who were there during the shooting.
"I just wanted to come back and say hi. We were here together," he said. “We wanted to come back today for other people, and part of it was for ourselves, because we don’t want to live in fear."
"That's why I don't let my kids go out on Halloween because it's dangerous," said Nalani Aiten, a mom who heard about the shooting, and was standing outside the closed mall Friday afternoon waiting for a ride.
“That’s the one thing that I remember thinking was like, 'It figures,' and I’m not saying about the mall itself, I’m just saying about life. Just, you can't go anywhere without worrying about getting shot anymore," Aiten continued.
Vancouver police said anyone who left personal property behind at the mall Thursday night can pick it up in the mall security office or contact mall security for information.
The mall reopened Friday at 3 p.m.