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Mall shooting suspect arrested in Oregon

  • Story Highlights
  • Police in Portland, Oregon arrested Barry Saunders
  • Saunders is suspect in fatal shooting of teenager at mall in Tukwila, Washington
  • Another teenager was wounded in the incident, which began as a fight
  • Police in Washington suspect the shootings may be gang-related
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(CNN) -- A suspect in what may have been a gang-related fatal shooting at a Washington shopping mall was arrested Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, police said.

Mall shooting suspect Barry Saunders was arrested Wednesday in Oregon, police said.

Barry Saunders was identified by officers responding to a "non-violent call," said Tukwila, Washington, police spokesman Mike Murphy.

Portland officers ran his name through the computer system, and the warrant for the shooting at the Seattle-area mall popped up, Murphy said.

"We didn't alert Portland. They just did really good police work, covered all their bases and found him in the system," he said.

Saunders was taken into custody without incident about 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), Murphy said.

One man died in the shooting at Westfield Southcenter Shopping Centre, and another was wounded, Tukwila police Sgt. Mark Howie said Saturday. A woman who appeared to go into labor and a man who suffered a neck injury as people rushed from the mall were also taken to a hospital.

Howie said the shooting was believed to be gang-related. Video shows that a fight broke out between two groups of men "wearing different colors," he said. "It's clear one is winning the fight over the other. Then the shooter pulls away to produce a firearm and shoots it two or three times."

Murphy would say only, "the whole gang angle is something for the courts to decide."

The shooting happened about 3:45 p.m. Saturday (6:45 p.m. ET). Hundreds of people fled the scene, and the mall was locked down about 15 minutes later, Howie said.

Tukwila Police are seeking to extradite Saunders from Oregon, but he will have to appear before a judge there as part of that process, Murphy said.

Murphy did not give Saunders' age, but CNN affiliate KIRO reported that he is 21. Authorities do not know when or how Saunders went to Oregon or whether anyone was helping him, Murphy said.

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"I think the message has been sent that if you commit a crime like that at a mall, you're going to be captured quickly. ... That's a very poor place to commit a crime," Murphy said.

Portland is about 165 miles south of Tukwila.

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