Saturday, at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington, two young men were shot by a gunman, one of whom was killed after an argument between the three broke out, which had initially led to the shootings.

The mall was closed down for 6 hours after the incident, during which time the police looked for the gunman in every store, but unfortunately did not manage to find him.

Police spokesman officer Mike Murphy revealed to the Associated Press that at the time the shooting took place shortly before 3:45 p.m., the mall was full with thousands of shoppers, adding that authorities believed the gunfire might have been the outcome of gang fights.

The young men who were shot were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. One of them died at the hospital, while a hospital spokesman informed that the other was in critical condition.

So far, according to Murphy, five persons have been taken into custody by the police, some of which having already been released, but none of them was the shooter.

Both the gunman and the victims were in their late 20s, authorities informed, further stating that the shooter had probably fled the scene along with employees and shoppers, who were allowed to leave the store in groups. Nevertheless, the police said they believed it would not be long until they were to track down the man responsible for the gunfire.

For the time being, there are no indications neither on what led to the argument and afterwards the shootings, nor on the relationship between the three men.