Arcan Cetin

Mass Murderer

Arcan Cetin and the 2016 Cascade Mall Massacre

Overview

On September 23, 2016, 20-year-old Arcan Cetin carried out a mass shooting inside the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington. Cetin entered the mall's Macy's department store with a rifle and deliberately fired at people in the women's clothing and cosmetics sections. Four victims died inside the store, while a fifth died at a hospital the following day. The attack began shortly before 7:00 p.m., when the mall was occupied by employees, families and customers beginning their weekend shopping. Witnesses heard gunfire and fled through store exits or hid inside fitting rooms, offices and storage areas. Cetin abandoned the rifle inside Macy's and escaped before responding officers secured the building. The shooting resulted in an extensive regional manhunt that ended with Cetin's arrest approximately 24 hours later.

Arcan Cetin's Background

Arcan Cetin was born on August 20, 1996, in Adana, Turkey. He immigrated to the United States as a child and later became a naturalized American citizen. He lived with his family in Oak Harbor, Washington, and graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 2015. He had worked as a grocery bagger at the commissary at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Before the massacre, Cetin had repeatedly come into contact with law enforcement. Court records documented arrests and accusations involving assault and domestic violence, including conflicts with his stepfather. In one case, Cetin was ordered to participate in mental-health counseling and prohibited from consuming alcohol or illegal drugs. He completed the court-ordered counseling in March 2016, approximately six months before the mall attack. Relatives and acquaintances later described Cetin as socially isolated and prone to sudden anger. Investigators examined his personal relationships, mental-health history and online activity while attempting to determine why he selected the Cascade Mall. Although Cetin's former girlfriend had once worked at the mall's Macy's store, she was no longer employed there and was not present during the shooting.

Events Before the Shooting

On the evening of September 23, 2016, Cetin went to the Cascade Mall and purchased a ticket for a showing of the motion picture Snowden at the mall's movie theater. Investigators determined that he placed his cellular telephone against an emergency exit door to prevent it from closing and then left the theater. A theater employee discovered the telephone, removed it from the doorway and delivered it to a customer-service area. Cetin returned and retrieved it. Cetin then traveled to his family's home in Oak Harbor, where he obtained a Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle that belonged to his stepfather. He did not have permission to take the firearm. Cetin drove back toward Burlington with the rifle and returned to the Cascade Mall later that evening. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Beatrice Dotson 95 yr old Female

Cascade Mall shooting - Wikipedia