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Woman called 911 after letting Yakima, Washington, shooting suspect borrow phone at Target, police say

Authorities said they located the man wanted in the random killing of three people at a convenience store in Yakima, Washington, Tuesday, after he borrowed a stranger’s cell phone to call his mother and confess to what he had done.

The three victims were found dead by Yakima police at a Circle K convenience store at about 3:30 a.m. PT, according to Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray. The suspect was identified as Jarid Haddock, 21, of Yakima County.

Suspect called his mother after shooting

Police had surrounded Haddock’s family home after Tuesday’s pre-dawn killings, but he wasn’t there, Murray said at a news conference. Instead, Haddock had gone to the area of a Target store in the city, where he borrowed a woman’s phone and called his mother.

The woman, according to Murray, overheard Haddock make several incriminating statements such as "I killed those people" and that he "was going to kill himself."

“I listened to that call — it’s pretty harrowing,” Murray said. “I have to really thank her again because she was very courageous in getting us there.”

The woman was able to get her phone back and separated herself from Haddock before calling 911 to report his whereabouts, Murray said.

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Police found ammunition and weapon linked to suspect

Following the 911 call, officers were able to locate Haddock behind some warehouses, where he apparently shot and killed himself before officers arrived at the scene, Murray said. Officers heard gunshots but there were no eyewitnesses, Murray added.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene after authorities attempted to provide medical care, Murray confirmed. Police found a large amount of ammunition and a weapon at the suspect's location.

An investigation into the incidents is ongoing and a motive is still unknown, according to Murray.

Police do not know motive in shooting

While the shooting appears to be random, according to eyewitness statements, Murray emphasized that authorities don't know if it was a random act.

"I want to be really clear, I don't think we know and we may never know," Murray said.

Citing video footage from Circle K, Murray said there was no interaction between the suspect and the victims before the shooting. Later, Haddock left Circle K and proceeded to shoot at another individual before driving away in his own vehicle.

Haddock also did nothing to conceal his identity during the incident, Murray said.

Authorities had closed portions of several roads in Yakima Tuesday as they searched for Haddock for several hours.

The fatal shooting comes after the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, on Monday and also follows Saturday's deadly rampage at a popular ballroom in Monterey Park, California.

Yakima has nearly 100,000 residents and is about 140 miles southeast of Seattle.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yakima, Washington, Circle K shooting: 3 dead, suspect killed self