Before police say he shot five people dead in a Macy's on Friday
night, Arcan Cetin was already known in the small island city where
he lived as a troubled young man with an affinity for guns.
"I know he was big on guns, his reputation wasn't great," said
Bryce Diras, who went to Oak Harbor High School with Mr. Cetin. "He
wasn't right in the head, and as much as it pains me to say it, I
wouldn't have put something like this past him."
Investigators are still searching for a motive in the massacre
at the Cascade Mall, about 60 miles north of Seattle in the small
city of Burlington. Mr. Cetin, 20, was arrested Saturday night and
is in custody in Skagit County jail. Jail records describe his
offenses as five counts of murder. He hasn't been formally
charged.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman said the bureau
does "not have any information to suggest terrorist ties" but the
investigation is continuing.
"We feel confident we have the shooter," Washington state Patrol
Sgt. Mark Francis said. "Whether or not anyone else is involved has
yet to be determined."
It was unclear whether Mr. Cetin has a lawyer. A man who
answered the phone at his mother's home declined to comment.
Mr. Cetin was born in Turkey, and grew up in Oak Harbor, a small
city on Whidbey Island about 50 miles north of Seattle dominated by
a Naval Air Station and military culture that defined part of Mr.
Cetin's life too.
He joined the Reserve Officers Training Corp, a program for
potential young military recruits, and did well on the rifle team,
former fellow members said. He cheered the 2011 death of Osama bin
Laden on his Facebook page and scolded others for "ruining" a
"national moment" when they commented with jokes.
According to his Facebook page, confirmed as his by a state law
enforcement officer, he worked at the commissary on the Naval
station as a bagger. A spokesman for the base said he couldn't
confirm Mr. Cetin's employment. The spokesman said that
"quick-thinking employees and Navy personnel from NAS Whidbey
Island contacted local law enforcement after identifying the
suspect from the picture shown over multiple media sources."
Sgt. Francis said Sunday that an ex-girlfriend of Mr. Cetin's
worked at a Macy's store, but investigators don't believe it is the
one where the shooting took place. He said investigators have yet
to find any connection between the suspect and the victims.
Those killed were a 16-year-old cancer survivor; a 95-year-old
woman and her daughter, a 64-year-old probation officer; a
52-year-old Macy's cosmetics employee; and the only male fatality,
a Boeing Co. employee believed to be about 60.
Detectives interviewed Mr. Cetin Saturday night for the first
time.
"He was calm and collected," said Sgt. Francis.
Mr. Cetin had been arrested before for simple assault,
law-enforcement officials said. According to the Seattle Times,
court records show he had faced three domestic-violence assault
charges, with the victim identified as his stepfather. A judge told
Mr. Cetin last year he wasn't to possess a firearm, the Times
reported.
Mr. Cetin used a .22-caliber Ruger rifle in the attack, and
three guns were missing from a relative, one of which was that
rifle, according to a law-enforcement official.
In a high school with 1,800 students in a Navy town where teens
come and go, Mr. Cetin stood out, but for the wrong reasons, former
high-school acquaintances said.
"Everyone knew him, but I don't think he had many close
friends," said Nikeesha Gooding, 19, who is now a college student.
Mr. Cetin was a "troublemaker of sorts," she said. He could be
"vulgar," she said, describing him as "an outcast with a troubled
mind."
Ms. Gooding said she was initially shocked to hear Mr. Cetin was
arrested in connection with such a horrific crime.
"I initially wanted to write him off as some kind of soulless
monster, but that's so much easier to do when you didn't know the
guy personally," she said.
Ms. Gooding added that while she understands that the "public
need to put a face to the bad guy, I feel that people should also
keep the victims in their thoughts, as well."
Mr. Cetin joined the Oak Harbor High School Wildcat Battalion
Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps in high school, said
Caleb Peek, 18, who was executive officer of the battalion.
It is a commitment of 10 hours per week with early morning
practices and Mr. Cetin participated in one of the more rigorous
teams, said Mr. Peek.
"For team performance he was able to meet the high standards
required of the team members," he said. "Excellence was expected
from all of us and he did what it took to make it as part of the
team."
The cadets use air rifles in drills, Mr. Peek said.
Mr. Cetin was an average student who didn't act out in class or
skip many classes, said a woman who went to the same high school
but didn't want to be identified. Mr. Cetin had a "vulgar humor,
violent humor," and "held a lot of anger and resentment towards
fellow classmates," she said.
"Everyone knew who he was, unfortunately because he made a lot
of people uncomfortable because of how…scary he was honestly," she
said. "He showed up to a lot of events kind of letting himself in,
inviting himself to go."
On his Facebook page, Mr. Cetin posted forlorn messages about a
girl he liked, and defended himself against friends who said he was
"obsessed." Other times, he posted crude messages about girls and
women. But some of his female Facebook friends called him a "sweet
guy" and funny.
Ms. Gooding called the island a "beautiful place and I
personally love it," but she said that it can be stifling for teens
who want to see more of the world. The mall in Burlington was where
people from the island would go to escape.
Mr. Cetin returned to the island at some point after the
shootings, police said. He was arrested walking down the street,
after a local law enforcement officer recognized him from a
picture.
Jim Carlton contributed to this article.
Write to Zusha Elinson at zusha.elinson@wsj.com and Jay Greene
at Jay.Greene@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 26, 2016 08:05 ET (12:05 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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