Eight dead, shooter dead in Texas mall shooting

ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A shooting at a mall in the Dallas area left eight people dead and seven seriously injured before being shot dead by a police officer who happened to be nearby, officials said Saturday.

Authorities did not immediately release details about the victims, but witnesses reported that children were among the victims. He said he saw something that looked like

The shooting was the latest episode of gun violence to hit the country. Hundreds of shoppers panicked and fled.

Allen Police said in a Facebook post that nine victims were taken to hospital. said to be in treatment.

Dash cam video circulating online showed the gunman getting out of the car outside the mall and quickly starting shooting people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen gunshots were heard as the vehicle recording the video drove away.

An Allen Police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard gunshots at 3:36 p.m., the police department wrote on Facebook.

“Cops engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called emergency personnel. Nine victims were taken to a local hospital by the Allen Fire Department,” officials said in a Facebook post. wrote in. “There are no more active threats.”

According to AP/USA Today data analysis, the United States has experienced an alarming frequency of mass murders this year. On average, about once a week.

The White House said President Biden has been briefed on the shooting and the administration has provided assistance to local officials. Governor Abbott called it an “unspeakable tragedy.”

Hundreds of shoppers stood outside across from the mall on Saturday night. A policeman circled among them and asked if anyone had seen what had happened.

Fontaine Payton, 35, heard gunshots through the headphones she was wearing while at H&M.

“It was so loud it sounded like it was right outside,” Peyton said.

Before an employee ushered the group into the fitting room, the people in the store were scattered and then ushered into a lockable back room. I saw that it was broken and had blood stains all the way to the door. Abandoned sandals and bloody clothes lay nearby.

Once outside, Peyton saw a dead body.

“I hope you’re not a child, but you looked like a child,” he said. The body was covered with a white towel and lay on top of a bag on the ground.

“When I went out to see it, it broke me,” he said.

Further in the distance, I could see the body of a fat man all dressed in black. Peyton said it wasn’t covered up, unlike other bodies, so he surmised it was the shooter.

Tarakuram Nunna, 25, and Ramakrishna Murapdi, 26, said they saw the three lying motionless on the ground.

Another shopper, Sharky Mouri, 24, said he was hiding in a Banana Republic store during the shooting. I saw him lying next to another unconscious person.

“I saw a man with his gun lying right next to him and like he was passing out right next to him.”

Stan and Mary Ann Green were browsing a sportswear store in Columbia when the shootings began.

Mary Ann Green told the Associated Press:

Employees quickly exited the security gate and led everyone to the back of the store until police arrived and escorted them, Greens said.

When Ever Romero was at an Under Armor store, the cashier said there was a shooting.

Romero said as he left the store. That’s when he started seeing broken glass and people shot on the floor.

Videos shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot as gunshots were heard.

More than 30 police cars with flashing lights blocked the entrance to the mall, and multiple ambulances were at the scene.

A live aerial broadcast from a news station showed armored trucks and other law enforcement vehicles stationed outside a sprawling outdoor mall.

Ambulances rushed to the scene from several nearby cities.

The Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.

The suburb of Allen, about 25 miles (40 km) north of downtown Dallas, has about 105,000 residents.