ALLEN — Multiple law enforcement agencies are currently at the scene of a mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, where a gunman reportedly gunned down several people Saturday afternoon, including children.
Local authorities confirmed that the gunman killed eight people in total. Nine people were transported to local hospitals, two of whom died. Three others are currently in critical condition, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
At a press briefing Saturday evening, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said the shooter was killed by a local police officer who heard the shots fired in the parking lot and engaged the suspect.
“This is a tragedy. People will be looking for answers,” said Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey, ABC News reported. “We’re sorry that those families are experiencing that loss.”
New purported video footage of the incident captured by a dashcam shows an individual exiting a vehicle in front of the H&M clothing store at the mall. The individual in the footage then appears to fire a weapon at pedestrians in front of the store.
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Witnesses at the mall spoke about their experience with the shooter.
“We start hearing ‘RUT-RUT-RUT’ … And he’s seeing the pillars in front of our store get hit by rounds. So it was right about then both me and Eli we hit the ground and we used our conceal-carry weapons and we were sitting at the door,” a witness told NBC 5. When the witness walked to the back of the store, he said that he saw the suspect on a security camera. The suspect was “masked up” and wearing a “fake police outfit,” the witness related.
A spokesperson reported that there are eight victims being treated at Medical City Healthcare facilities in the area. The victims’ ages range from 5 to 61 years old.
The Dallas Express spoke to a woman at the scene Saturday evening. Her car was still parked in the parking lot where the incident occurred, which was now cordoned off by authorities.
Dallas resident Bre Smith told The Dallas Express that she saw a large police presence descend on the parking lot and that there was a lot of running and yelling. She said she had never seen anything like it before.
“This is a first for me. Ever,” Smith said.
Another woman named Alice Jackson was also at the mall. She told The Dallas Express, “I don’t understand why these shootings keep happening. Something needs to change.”
Gov. Greg Abbott provided a written statement that briefed the public on the current state of the investigation, which will be drawing from multiple law enforcement agencies:
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy. I have been in contact with Mayor Fulk and DPS Director McCraw as well as other state and local leaders and offered the full support of the State of Texas to local officials to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including DPS officers, Texas Rangers, and investigative resources,” Abbott wrote, per NBC 5 reporting.
Police have not disclosed any information about the suspect other than that he had been “neutralized.”