Eight people were killed and seven victims are hospitalized after a shooting at a Texas outlet mall, officials say. The gunman is also dead.
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At least Nine people were killed and seven others wounded as a gunman opened fire on shoppers at an outlet mall north of Dallas in Texas in the United States on Saturday.
The alleged gunman, who died after a confrontation with police, was among the seven people who were killed at the Allen Premium Outlets, the scene of the shooting, Allen Police Department officials said. Nine additional people were transferred to hospitals, where two later died, officials said. The hospitalized victims ages range from 5 to 61 years old, authorities said.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall, as eyewitnesses described a man firing indiscriminately at passers-by. The city’s police chief Brian Harvey said at a press conference that the gunman was killed by a police officer after he began firing outside of the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen.
Allen fire department chief Jon Boyd told the same press conference that his department took at least nine victims with gunshot wounds to area hospitals, two of whom died. In a statement, Medical City Healthcare said, its trauma centres were treating the wounded victims. In a statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott described the shooting as an unspeakable tragedy assuring that the state was prepared to offer any assistance local authorities may need.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday’s shooting at Allen Premium Outlets was an “unspeakable tragedy,” as he and other public officials and celebrities reacted to reports of another mass shooting in the Lone Star State.
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked for prayers for the families and friends of the victims.
“We are grateful for our brave first responders who were deployed to stop the shooter and investigate this hideous crime,” Patrick said in an emailed statement.