Suspect arrested in Halloween mall shooting in Vancouver, Washington, that killed 1, injured 2
A 22-year-old man has been arrested and identified as a suspect in a shooting that erupted on Halloween night in a crowded mall in Vancouver, Washington, killing one man, injuring two others and sending numerous trick-or-treaters running for cover, according to police.
The suspect, Travis L. Ward, was arrested Saturday in Vancouver, surrendering without incident after police and SWAT officers surrounded a home he was traced to, according to a statement from the Vancouver Police Department.
Ward was booked at the Clark County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault, police said.
The shooting unfolded around 7:30 p.m. PT on Thursday inside the Vancouver Mall, police said.
Witnesses told police a gunman was wearing a Halloween mask when he opened fire in the mall's food court, which at the time was crowded with children dressed in costumes and trick-or-treating, according to police.
One adult man, whose age and name have not been released, was shot and died at the scene, police said. Two other men, ages 30 and 40, respectively, were wounded when the gunman fired several more rounds, police said.
Investigators believe the victim killed in the shooting was targeted, according to police. Investigators believe the two men who were injured were innocent bystanders, police said.
The suspect ran out of the mall and had disappeared, police said.
Witness statements, surveillance video and tips made through the police department's Facebook page helped police identify Ward as the suspect in the shooting, officials said.
The shooting sparked panic in the mall, and video showed patrons running for cover.
Surveillance video obtained by Portland, Oregon, ABC affiliate KATU from the Twisted Escape Rooms business in the mall showed 16-year-old Bronwynn Cruden working at the front desk when gunshots sounded outside the store. The video showed Cruden rush to lock the front door, but moments later, she is seen in the footage unlocking the door to allow in a group of adults and children dressed in Halloween costumes who were banging on the door and screaming for help.
The footage showed Cruden directing the terrified group to the back of the store to seek shelter.
"As I was going to the back, a family was trying to get into the door, so I went back up to the front, unlocked it for them, got them in, they went straight to the back door like they knew what they were doing," Cruden told KATU. "There were so many people and so many kids. I don't know how many kids that was their first Halloween, and they'll probably be traumatized for the rest of their lives."
