Vancouver teenager praised for helping keep people safe during Vancouver Mall shooting

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — A 16-year-old Vancouver teenager is being praised as a hero after helping people get to safety During the shooting at the Vancouver Mall Thursday night.

Bronwynn Cruden was working a shift at her family’s business, Twisted Escape Room, when shots rang out. He quickly locked the door and ran to hide, but not before letting other people in need come in to hide.

Security video obtained by KATU shows Cruden sitting at the front desk of the business. Suddenly loud gunshots are heard and he runs to the front door to lock it. He retreats off-screen, but moments later a group of adults, children, and babies suddenly appear at the door and bang on the glass to get them in while the children scream and cry.

Cruden is then seen running forward and unlocking the door, allowing the group to get inside safely, then locking it again and escorting everyone to the back.

“As I was going around to the back, a family was trying to get in the door, so I went up to the front, unlocked it for them, got them in, they went straight to the back door like they knew what they were doing. Their kids were crying,” Cruden said in an interview with KATU News. “There were too many people and too many kids. I don’t know how many kids’ first Halloween, and they’ll probably be traumatized for the rest of their lives.”

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle praised him for his quick thinking to potentially save lives.

“How mature of him to deal with a horrific scene and figure out what he could do, get them in, keep all these customers safe and work on it,” he said.

1 person died and 2 people were injured in the armed attack. Police are still looking for the attacker.