Washington shooter admits killings

A brief hearing in a Skagit County Courtroom in Mount Vernon, Washington on Monday has revealed more details about a shooting at the Cascade Mall last week that left five people dead.

Arcan Cetin, 20, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, and documents show he admitted to police after his arrest that he had carried out the shooting.

In court, Cetin's only words were "Yes, your honor" in response to questions from the judge. He is being held on $2 million (1.8 million euros) bail.

Cetin fled after the shooting but was apprehended a day later by police in Oak Harbor, a town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the mall in Burlington. He was arrested without incident after an officer spotted him walking down the street.

Documents filed as part of Monday's hearing say that Cetin entered the mall through a restaurant and walked through the Macy's department store before exiting again. He entered his car and moved it closer to Macy's, and then took a Ruger .22 caliber rifle from the trunk. Cetin then returned to Macy's and began shooting, first killing a 16-year-old girl standing next to a clothing rack and then killing four more people near the makeup counter. Three of those victims were women, aged 52, 64, and 95, while the fifth victim was a 61 year-old-man.

After the shooting, Cetin placed the gun on the makeup counter and left the store.

The court documents revealed some details about Cetin's family history but did not specifically allude to a motive. His stepfather, David Marshall, told investigators that Cetin had "mental issues." He had also recently moved out on his own after living with his stepfather and mother. Marshall said he had eaten with Cetin just a few hours before the shooting. Weapons and ammunition belonging to Marshall and matching those used in the shooting had gone missing, Marshall added.

Cetin was born in Turkey but immigrated to the United States and is a permanent legal resident.

mz/kl (AP, Reuters)