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.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more Meta Platforms Charts.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more Meta Platforms Charts.