Washington state shooting leaves five people dead

At least five people have lost their lives in a shooting at a mall in the northwestern US state of Washington, with the suspect on the run, police say.

Sergeant Mark Francis, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol District 7, said on his Twitter account that the incident took place at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 104 kilometers north of Seattle, at about 19:30 local time on Friday.

Authorities initially reported four people were killed in the shooting, then said three were dead, before revising the number again to four.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Heather Axtman said in an updated toll on Saturday morning that four women and a man were killed in the shooting. The man, who had suffered life-threatening injuries, succumbed to his wounds later.

Police have released an image of the suspect they believe is responsible for Friday’s shooting. "Here is the shooter. We believe just one shooter. ... Armed with rifle," Francis said.

“EMS starting to enter to attend to injured inside Mall w/ police escort and after initial clearance,” he further said, referring to emergency medical services.

"We're actively searching for suspect, tracking leads, etc."

Police swarmed the area and medics rushed to the scene to help the injured while the mall was cleared and nearby businesses were evacuated.

The shooting comes less than a week after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead. The FBI is investigating that attack as a potential act of terrorism.

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