Up to nine people may have died in a shooting at an outlet mall close to Dallas, Texas and seven others were injured and receiving medical attention, according to officials cited by The New York Times on Saturday night.
At a press conference on Saturday evening, Allen, Texas, police chief Brian E. Harvey stated that the as-yet-unidentified shooter committed the act alone. When they heard gunfire, a police officer who was at the mall on another duty at the time of the shooting rushed towards it and killed the shooter. According to the New York Times, a shooting was seen at the Allen Premium Outlets around 3.30 p.m. (local time), an outdoor shopping complex with more than 120 retailers situated about 25 miles north of Dallas.
In a video shared on social media, the shooter can be seen lying on the ground while holding a long rifle, what appear to be several rounds of ammunition, and a tactical vest. He is also wearing all-black clothing.
On video taken at the scene, hundreds of customers could be seen leaving the area, many of them with their hands raised. According to the New York Times, the aerial footage showed at least three bodies outside the mall that were draped in sheets.
Allen, Texas, Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said nine people were rushed to hospitals. “Of those that we transported, two have since died. Three are in critical surgery, and four are stable,” Boyd added. A medical facility in the Dallas area was reported to have treated patients as young as 5 years old.
The Allen mass shooting is the most recent in a string of gun attacks that have terrorised establishments like stores, hospitals, schools, and other places that are typically thought to be secure across the nation. It occurs just days after a gunman is said to have opened fire inside an Atlanta hospital, killing one person and injuring four others before being captured hours later, according to The New York Times.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, described the attack as a “unspeakable tragedy” and said in a statement that “our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas.”
The shooting that occurred on Saturday is the second deadliest of the year, trailing only the Monterey Park, California, massacre, in which a shooter killed 11 people in a ballroom on January 21.
A database of shootings in the US called the Gun Violence Archive reports that 199 “mass shootings,” which are defined as shootings involving at least four victims, took place in 2023. Earlier this week, a particularly tragic wave of widespread shootings was observed.
In Cleveland, Texas, on Saturday, a shooter shot and killed five people after being asked to stop by his neighbours. A multi-day manhunt ended with his capture, according to the New York Times.
