The Allen Mall (Texas, U.S.) was attacked this Saturday surrounded by police.ABC-PARTNERS WFAA (via Portal)
Several people died and at least nine were injured in Saturday’s shooting at a busy mall in Allen, a town of 105,000 on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas, according to local police. The local television station WFAA assured that among the victims of the bullets are children. A hospital has confirmed the admission of a child under the age of five, according to the agency AP. The suspect in the shooting has died, the Allen Police Department confirmed at a news conference.
Filming began at approximately 3:40 p.m. local time at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, at a time when the retail complex was very busy, particularly with families shopping on a Saturday afternoon. The sound of the gunfire caused hundreds of people to flee in panic to leave the place.
“It’s a tragedy. People are going to need answers,” Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said at a news conference. “We are sorry that these families have to suffer this loss.” Harvey has confirmed that the incident left fatalities , but could not give a number. For his part, the region’s fire chief Jonathan Boyd has stated that at least nine people were taken to hospitals by ambulance. It has also warned that the number of wounded could be higher and that others from the bullets The people who were hit were taken to the hospital in private vehicles.
The tragedy could have been greater. A police officer was in the area to answer another call when he heard gunshots coming from the mall. “He went to where the shots were heard, confronted the suspect and neutralized the suspect,” Harvey said.
Operations Manager Joshua Barnwell told Fox 4 Dallas TV that he heard at least 30 gunshots and saw about 60 shell casings at the scene. The images broadcast by broadcaster WFAA show the shopping center surrounded by police vehicles.
Fontayne Payton, 35, was in a clothing store when she heard gunshots despite the headphones she was wearing at the time, she told the Associated Press. “It was so loud it sounded like it was right outside.” The vendors grouped the customers present in the changing rooms and in a locked warehouse. When they finally got permission to leave, Payton saw the broken glass in the storefront and a streak of blood. Bloody clothes and sandals thrown on the ground in the area. Outside the mall he saw dead bodies.
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“I pray they weren’t children, but they looked like children,” the witness said. The bodies of the victims he saw lay on the ground over sacks and were covered with white towels. Another body, a man dressed in black, severed from the others and uncovered, is believed to be that of the suspect.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott condemned the “unspeakable tragedy” in a statement, saying, “Our hearts go out to the people of Allen.” Abbott has agreed to provide any assistance necessary for the investigation.
This Saturday’s shooting in Texas is the latest in a long list of mass shootings across the United States that has been growing almost daily so far this year. According to the NGO Gun Violence Archive, which counts gun attacks that leave at least four victims, not counting whoever shot, there have been 198 such incidents in the United States since January and up to this Saturday.
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