A heroic teenager saved a family from a gunman who opened fire inside a Washington state mall on Halloween night.
Bronwyn Cruden, 16, was working at Twisted Escaped Rooms when gunshots and screams were heard.
After rushing to close the door, he quickly noticed a group of people frantically trying to take shelter outside.
Cruden quickly ushered the family inside as everyone ducked in the store as bullets continued to ring out.
‘How many kids, that was their first Halloween? And they will probably be traumatized for the rest of their lives,” the teenager said. KATU.
The shooter, Travis L. Ward, 32, killed one man and wounded two after opening fire around 7:30 p.m. in the food court. He was arrested Saturday by the Vancouver Police Department.
Heartbreaking footage showed the moment a teenage Vancouver mall employee quickly saved a family from a gunman Thursday night.
Heartbreaking surveillance footage captured the moment Cruden’s quick thinking saved adults and children.
The intense clip showed Cruden sitting at the front desk inside the store as loud gunshots rang out.
The people outside quickly began climbing and screaming before the teen got up to close the door.
He began walking toward the back of the store to take cover as a family pulled on the doors to get inside.
A man with a small child in his hand, a woman and three other children, all carrying bags of trick-or-treating candy, gathered outside.
Cruden ran back, opened the door and waved them in as they huddled in the back while she closed it again.
‘They went straight to the back of my shop. They knew what they were doing, they were out of there. Their children were crying,” Cruden recalled.
Bronwyn Cruden, 16, ushered the family into the store as loud gunshots rang out in the hallway.
Despite saving the family from gunfire, the teen said she’s not sure she considers herself a hero.
“I don’t know if I would call myself a hero for sure,” he said.
That night the mall was hosting a Halloween event where families came out to enjoy the holiday.
Witnesses told police Ward put on a clown mask and wore an all-black suit as he ran toward the JC Penny store.
One woman, Dusty Belair, said Oregon live He was eating in the food court with his family when gunshots were heard.
“I got some bites and suddenly there were several shots.
“We were confused and people started screaming and running. We didn’t know what to do, so we hid under the table,” Belair said, adding that the sound of gunshots “was very close” and “resonated very loudly.”
Belair, her husband, her 23-year-old daughter, her five-year-old grandson and her three-year-old niece hid under a table as chaos unfolded.
The shooter, Travis L. Ward, 32, killed one man and wounded two after opening fire around 7:30 p.m. in the food court. He was arrested Saturday by the Vancouver Police Department.
The mall was hosting a Halloween event that night as families came out to enjoy the holiday.
All five came out alive and unharmed, but the mother knew that was not the case for everyone.
“I’m really sorry for the families that were affected,” Belair said.
Police located Ward at a Vancouver residence over the weekend, along with the assistance of SWAT officers.
According to police, they were able to locate him thanks to numerous tips provided on Facebook.
Ward surrendered and was taken into custody. He has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault.
He is being held without bail, according to jail records reviewed by DailyMail.com.
Ward is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Police believe the shooting was a targeted attack, but have not identified the victim. According to authorities, the two injured men were between 30 and 40 years old.