A gunman opened fire in a busy mall outside Dallas on Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding at least seven before a police officer killed him, authorities said, turning a busy shopping afternoon into a chaotic and tragic scene.
At a news conference Saturday night, Brian E. Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, Texas, did not identify a gunman but said the man acted alone. Chief Harvey said a police officer, who was performing unrelated duties at the mall at the time of the shooting, heard gunshots, rushed to him and killed the gunman.
A spokesman for Medical City Healthcare, which treated some of the victims in three trauma facilities, said the ages of the injured ranged from 5 to 61 years.
Gunfire erupted around 3:30 p.m. at Allen Premium Outlets as crowds of shoppers filled the outdoor mall, which is about 25 miles north of Dallas and has more than 120 stores. Videos circulating on social media show people running for cover or running through a parking lot as a loud pop can be heard in the background.
Seven people, including the gunman, were pronounced dead at the mall. Officials can count at least nine people taken to hospital, but more victims may have been brought in private vehicles, said Allen fire chief Jonathan Boyd. Two of them died later. Three are in critical condition and four are in stable condition.
A video circulating on social media shows the gunman, lying on the ground, dressed in black and equipped with what appears to be a tactical vest, several rounds of ammunition and a long gun.
“We all want the victims and their families affected by this tragedy to know that we will put our arms around you and we are here for you,” Ken Fulk, mayor of Allen, said at a news conference. “We know you are grieving. We grieve. Rest assured, the nation and the world are also grieving. Allen is a proud and safe city, which makes today's senseless act of violence all the more shocking.”
Mr Fulk added that police have been trained not to “hesitate to move in the direction of a threat,” which is likely to save more lives.
Saturday's attack was the second deadliest shooting this year, following the Monterey Park, California, massacre in which a gunman killed 11 people in a ballroom on January 21.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database of shootings in the United States, there have been 199 “mass shootings”, defined as shootings of at least four people, in 2023. shootings last week.
Last weekend, a gunman killed five people in Cleveland, Texas, near Houston, after he was asked by neighbors to stop shooting in his driveway. He was caught after several days of hunting.
On Monday, a registered sex offender shot dead six people, including his wife and three children, near Tulsa, Okla., before shooting himself.
On Wednesday, a gunman opened fire at a medical office building in Atlanta, killing one person and wounding four. It also led to a manhunt before the suspect was caught.
In Allen, Texas, witnesses described scenes of chaos that usually ensue when gun battles erupt.
Geoffrey Keaton was having lunch with his 16 year old daughter at Fatburger in the outlet mall when they heard gunshots.
“I knew right away,” said Mr. keatone. “I put my baby girl under the table to protect her, and then they get louder, as if she were there.”
Mr Keaton said the restaurant manager allowed customers to hide in the back, where they could exit through the back door and run to their cars.
“You can see the bodies of the people he shot on the pavement,” said Mr. keatone.
Live broadcast from local Fox television affiliate showed shoppers being evacuated in an orderly manner from stores such as H&M, Michael Kors, American Eagle and Kay Jewelers.
Kaleo Palakiko, 36, was shopping with his parents for the upcoming holiday when they saw people running outside.
“It was just a bit chaotic for a moment. Then when someone said, ‘shooters,' we all ran to the back of the shop,” said Pak Palakiko. “As Americans, we are used to this, because everyone knows exactly what to do.”
Mr Palakiko and his parents hid in the barn for about 45 minutes before they were released by police and walked out with their arms up. Mr Palakiko said they walked past shops with shattered windows.
Brayson Jones, 17, had arrived early for his shift at the Champs Sports outlet store and was sitting in his car when he heard “probably more than 20 shots” and saw people running out of the store, he said.
Mr. Jones said a stranger ran up to his car and motioned to let him in, then the two drove off.
“As soon as I heard the shots and people screaming, I didn't wait to see what happened, I backed up and got out of there,” he said.
Four hours after the shooting, police began allowing several people to pick up their cars that had been left at the outlet. The others, whose cars were parked closer to the crime scene, will have to wait until tomorrow.
Representative Keith Self, a Republican representing Allen, Texas, said on CNN that critics calling for more than “thoughts and prayers” after Saturday's shooting “do not believe in Almighty God, who truly controls our lives.” Instead, he said, the country's lack of “mental health institutions” was to blame.
“Really I want to stay away from politics today because I want to focus on victims, today we have to focus on families,” he said. “Prayer is important and it matters in broken families right now.”
In a statement, Kris Brown, president of Brady, the gun violence prevention organization, listed a long list of shootings in a short week.
“Homes, doctors' offices and now malls,” he said. “These horrific tragedies are occurring with increasing frequency and there is clearly no place in this country where Americans are safe from gun violence. But this will continue to be our reality unless and until the US changes its relationship with guns and our lawmakers finally answer to the American people, not the gun lobby.”