Investigators continue to pore through evidence in Burlington mall shooting

BURLINGTON – Investigators are continuing to piece together the events surrounding the Sept. 23 shooting at Cascade Mall that claimed the lives of five people.

Detectives with the Skagit County Multiple Agency Response Team, which is comprised of officers and detectives from each of Skagit’s municipal police departments, the Swinomish Tribal Police, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office and State Patrol, are continuing to pour through evidence and follow up on leads, said Sgt. Mark Francis with the State Patrol.

“(Investigators are) still vigorously pursuing what drove the suspect to commit this senseless act,” Francis said.

Investigators last week spent a day canvassing places in Oak Harbor where the suspect, 20-year-old Arcan Cetin, lived and worked, Francis said.

Detectives are also going through “several hundred gigabytes” of video data and hundreds of pieces of evidence, Francis said.

Investigators have received more than 300 tips, some of which, officials say, led to Cetin’s Sept. 24 arrest in Oak Harbor.

“All of the information collected from the community has been very valuable,” Francis said.

The team is expecting to complete the investigation and refer charges to the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office within a few weeks, Francis said.

Cetin is being held in Skagit County Jail on a magistrate’s warrant that alleges he committed five counts of premeditated murder.

Officials have until Oct. 26 to officially charge Cetin. He is being held on $2 million bail.