Eight people were killed and seven others injured in a shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at a Texas mall. The shooter was neutralized by the police.
A man opened fire and killed eight people Saturday afternoon in a shopping center in the city of Allen, located in the Dallas area of Texas. At least seven people were injured, and the shooter was himself shot dead by law enforcement.
Scene of panic in a shopping center
The first shots rang out Saturday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. (local time) inside the Allen Premium Outlets, a large shopping center in the city of Allen, located some 40 kilometers north of Dallas.
The CCTV images broadcast by the channel CNN show the shooter getting out of a sedan in the mall parking lot and opening fire. According to witnesses, the shooting quickly sowed panic among the many customers who had come to do their shopping for the weekend.
The shooter and his motive still unknown
At this point, the shooter’s motive remains unknown and his identity has not yet been released by authorities. But according to CCTV footage released by the American press, the man was wearing paramilitary gear and carrying an assault rifle.
8 dead and at least 7 injured
Of the eight victims, six lost their lives on the spot and two others died in hospital. A 5-year-old child was hit by the gunfire, reported a hospital official quoted to NBC News. Three of the seven injured required emergency surgery, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.
The shooter neutralized by a policeman
It was a police officer deployed to the scene of the shots who faced the suspect and was able to neutralize him. His body was found dead when police reinforcements arrived, like those of the other victims.
At this stage of the investigation, authorities believe the suspect acted alone.
Texas, one of the most permissive states on the carrying of firearms
This new drama is part of a close series of killings, notably in Texas, where five people, including a 9-year-old child, were killed the previous weekend by a man armed with an assault rifle.
State Governor Greg Abbott lamented an “unspeakable tragedy”. Texas is one of the most permissive states in the United States when it comes to carrying weapons, while Joe Biden denounced a “senseless act of violence” in a press release on Sunday morning. He ordered flags flown at half-mast above the White House and federal and military public buildings in tribute to the victims.
With more guns than people, the United States has the highest gun death rate of any developed country: 49,000 in 2021, compared to 45,000 in 2020. The Gun Violence Archive site has already recorded this year in the United States more than 199 acts where four or more people were injured or killed by gunshots.
