Gunman kills eight people at Texas mall, footage shows people running as shots are heard | Abroad

The shooting occurred at Allen Premium Outlets, a shopping center in Allen, around 3:40 p.m. local time. The city has about 100,000 inhabitants and is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Dallas. An officer who was on the scene for an unrelated incident heard the gunfire and ran towards it. He was able to “neutralize” the shooter, Allen police said.

Nine people were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, but for two of them all help came too late. Seven people are still being treated: three are critical, four people are stable, says fire chief Jonathan Boyd. The injured are between five and 61 years old. In total, nine people have been killed so far, including the gunman.

According to eyewitnesses, the shooter was dressed completely in black and was wearing tactical gear. He allegedly shot passers-by. The American news channel ‘CNN’ reports that he used some kind of AR-15 assault weapon.

The identity and motive of the shooter are not yet known.

When the gunman opened fire, people fled in all directions and hid in shops in the shopping center. Agents evacuated the entire complex.

There have been 198 mass shootings in the US this year, the Gun Violence Archive reports. Those are shootings in which four or more people are injured or killed, not counting the shooter, the non-profit organization says.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the shooting a “horrible tragedy”. In recent years, Texas has relaxed gun laws under his rule. As of 2021, Texans who legally own a firearm may carry it in public without needing a license or training.

Last week, a man in Texas killed five of his neighbors because they asked him to stop shooting in his yard that kept their baby awake.

On May 24, 2022, a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, a town in southern Texas.