Mall gunman escapes, leaves one man dead

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — Shots erupted in a packed Seattle-area shopping mall Saturday after an apparent argument between a gunman and two other young men, killing one of the men, creating panic among shoppers and sending police on a store-to-store search for the shooter, authorities said.

The Southcenter Mall in Tukwila was locked down as police tried to find the gunman. Officer Mike Murphy, a police spokesman, told The Associated Press there were "thousands" of shoppers at the mall when the shooting took place just before 3:45 p.m.

The two injured men were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where one of them died. Murphy said he did not know the condition of the other victim.

The gunman used a pistol and fired multiple shots, Murphy said. At least two other people were detained for questioning, he said.

As police searched for the gunman, they allowed store employees and customers remaining in the mall to exit in groups, Murphy said. There was a possibility the assailant escaped with a crowd, he said.

The gunman and the two victims were all in their late teens or early 20s. No one else was injured, Murphy said.