Court records: Accused mall shooter had history of violence, mental illness

OAK HARBOR, Wash. – The suspected gunman in a deadly shooting at a mall in Burlington had a history of assault charges and struggled with a number of mental health disorders, according to court documents obtained by Q13 News.

Arcan Cetin, 20, of Oak Harbor, has been charged with five counts of premeditated, first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of five people inside a Macy’s store at Cascade Mall on Friday.

According to records obtained from Island County District Court, Cetin had a history of violence toward family members and bizarre behavior toward female classmates.



On October 29, 2014, Cetin was arrested for fourth-degree assault and malicious mischief for an incident involving his mother and stepfather, Hatice and David Marshall. The couple reported that Cetin had hit himself repeatedly, and then grabbed his mother’s hand and began hitting himself in the face with it.

In May 2015, Cetin was accused of rubbing his feet on female classmates at Oak Harbor High School. When he refused to stop after being asked several times, police were called and Cetin was arrested for assault with sexual motivation.

A month later, he was again arrested for domestic violence after kissing his father on the lips and punching him in the face.

While the 2014 incident resulted in a no-contact order between Cetin and his parents, Hatice and David Marshall petitioned the court to have it lifted so they could help their son get treatment.

“Arcan has had mental health issues that we have been trying to work on with him, that’s all I can say,” David Marshall told reporters outside court on Monday.



In May of 2016, Cetin received a mental evaluation that found he had anxiety, depression, ADHD, and would benefit from substance abuse programs because of his dependence on alcohol and marijuana. Cetin was also diagnosed with PTSD at the age of 18 and told counselors he tried to commit suicide in 2015 by overdosing on prescription medication, according to the records.

Centin was ordered to get mental health treatment on a number of occasions, and efforts were made to have him involuntarily committed, records reflect.

In 2015, Cetin was ordered by a court that he was not to possess a firearm.

In February 2016, Cetin asked a court to grant him deferred prosecution for an assault charge, based on his history of mental illness.

Cetin wrote, in part, “Unless I receive treatment for my problem, the probability is great that I will offend again.”