2 men injured after shooting at Southcenter Mall near Seattle
TUKWILA, Wash. - Two men were injured in a shooting at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington Saturday afternoon.
Tukwila Police responded to the reports around 12:15 p.m and are working to clear the area, advising anyone sheltered in place inside the mall to stay there until officers come by.
Officers said at 5:30 p.m. that they had finished clearing the mall and evacuating people from stores. The mall would remain closed Saturday and reopen on Sunday.
Police said this appeared to be an isolated incident between two known individuals, but no suspects were found or arrested.
Two men were shot and taken to a local hospital. Harborview Medical Center's spokesperson told Q13 News both men were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
A 32-year-old man was set to be released from the hospital and a 27-year-old man was in serious condition, HMC spokesperson Susan Gregg said.
Police later told Q13 News this was not considered as an active shooter situation.
Local businesses around the mall, including Bahama Breeze and Buffalo Wild Wings, told Q13 News they reported a shooting to police and are currently under lockdown.
"I got everybody in the back, locked and barricaded the doors until the police came and escorted us out. My heart was pounding. It’s one of the scariest things I think I’ve ever been through," Kristin Rochon, who works at Windsor, told Q13's Jennifer Lee.
Cathy Buchta told Q13 News she was inside the mall when she heard gunshots ring out Saturday afternoon.
"We had just walked into the clothing store Charlotte Russe and heard the gunshots and heard somebody scream and everybody started dashing for cover," said Buchta.
Buchta, who flew in from Alaska to do some local shopping said it was a frightening scene to hear the gunshots and having to hide. She warns people to check their surroundings in situations.
"Be very aware of your surroundings no matter what you’re doing and where you’re going because you never now," said Buchta.
In a phone interview with Q13’s Steve Kiggins, Max Zaleski said he was driving past the mall Saturday when he saw many people running from the parking deck and cops swarming the entrance to the valet area of the mall.
"As we were passing there were tons of police cars blaring and going on," said Zaleski. "They were walking or running, I saw about 2 or 3 different groups about 7 people total. At least one of them were walking and the other group was running away."
One shopper, Wesley Eubanks of Olympia, told The Associated Press in direct messages on Twitter that he was in the cosmetics store Lush, on the mall’s first level, with his wife when he heard about a half-dozen shots. The couple moved to the back of the store with a few other customers as employees directed them to a certain area, he said.
WSP has closed all exits from I-5 and 405 to the Southcenter district and advises drivers to avoid the area during the investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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