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Washington mall shooting suspect to face 5 murder charges

The man accused of fatally shooting five people at a mall in Burlington, Wash., was being held without bond Sunday and faces five counts of first-degree murder, according to jail records.

<p>Crowds gathered outside the Cascade Mall waiting for information. Photo: Alex Rozier / KING.</p>

The man accused of fatally shooting five people at a mall in Burlington, Wash., was being held without bond Sunday and faces five counts of first-degree murder, according to jail records.

The suspect, Arcan Cetin, 20, of Oak Harbor, Wash., was arrested Saturday night in Oak Harbor, about 29 miles southwest of Burlington, after a manhunt that lasted more than 20 hours. Cetin has not yet been formally charged in connection with the Friday night killings at Macy's inside the mall.

Police said tips from the public helped them arrest Cetin after officials distributed blurry photos of the suspect.

The suspect, who immigrated from Turkey with his family, "is a legal, permanent resident of the United States," said Lt. Chris Cammock of the Mount Vernon Police Department.

No evidence pointed to terrorism, Michael Knutson, assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle FBI, said at the news conference late Saturday. Authorities believe Cetin was the only gunman.

The motive for the shooting that killed four women and a man remains unclear. Authorities said Cetin's ex-girlfriend used to work at the store but hasn't in several months and now lives in another county. KING 5 reported that Cetin was in possession of three guns Friday night. all legally purchased, but Cetin stole them from a family member. The weapon used Friday night was a .22 Ruger, according to law enforcement, KING 5 reported.

Cetin has a criminal record that includes three assault charges related to domestic violence, with his stepfather being the victim, the Seattle Times reported. Cetin also was arrested on a drunken driving charge, the Times said.

A judge told Cetin on Dec. 29 that he could not possess a firearm, according to the Times. His stepfather convinced the judge not to impose a no-contact order. He said his stepson was "going through a hard time."

Lt. Mike Hawley of the Island County Sheriff's Office said deputies spotted Cetin's car near their office in Oak Harbor Saturday night, but no one was inside.

“I saw an individual walking northbound on the sidewalk and I instantly recognized that this is the person that I just viewed on my computer,” Hawley said.

"He said nothing," Hawley added. "He was kind of zombie-like."

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