A gunman shot and killed eight people and wounded at least seven others at a busy mall north of Dallas on Saturday, police said.
The gunman, whom authorities said they think acted alone and whose motive was not yet known, was killed by a police officer after he began firing outside of the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas, the city's police chief Brian Harvey said at a press conference.
Several people, including children, were injured on Saturday in a shooting outside of a busy suburban Dallas mall and a suspect was dead, local media reported.
1. A gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and started shooting people at a Dallas-area outlet mall Saturday, killing eight and wounding seven others — three critically — before being killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said, reported by AP.
2. There was no word on the number of people injured or their condition at the Allen Premium Outlets mall where the shooting took place about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dallas.
3. Two of those people died at the hospital, Boyd said at a second press conference Saturday night. Three of the victims were in critical condition and four others were stable.
4. A 16-year-old pretzel stands employee, Maxwell Gum, described a virtual stampede of shoppers. He and others sheltered in a storage room. “We started running. Kids were getting trampled," Gum said. "My co-worker picked up a 4-year-old girl and gave her to her parents.”
5. Medical City Healthcare, which runs 16 hospitals in the area, said in a statement that its trauma centers were treating eight of the wounded victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 61.
6. Multiple people were wounded and the shooter was dead at the scene, local ABC affiliate WFAA TV reported, citing the Collin County Sheriff. "He pretty much was walking down the sidewalk just ... shooting his gun outside," an eyewitness told the station. "He was just shooting his gun everywhere for the most part."
7. "Law enforcement is on the scene at Allen Premium Outlets. An active investigation is underway. Please avoid the area until further update," the Allen Police Department said in a Twitter post.
8. Video footage from local media showed police officers hurrying shoppers out of the mall, with squad cars and emergency vehicles parked near entryways. Blood could be seen on sidewalks outside the mall and white sheets covering what appeared to be bodies.
9. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, calling the shooting an "unspeakable tragedy", said in a written statement that the state was prepared to offer any assistance local authorities in Allen may need.
10. With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country -- 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 the year before. There have been more than 195 mass shootings -- defined as four or more people wounded or killed -- so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
(With inputs from agencies)
