Nine people were killed and at least seven others injured in a shooting at a shopping center in the US state of Texas on Saturday. The shooter was shot dead by police. That reports AP.
According to eyewitnesses, the man got out of a car and began shooting randomly at people at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, a Dallas suburb. Hundreds of shoppers fled in panic. Witnesses saw several victims, possibly including children. They also reported a police officer and a security guard of the complex lying unconscious on the ground.
The shooter acted alone, according to police. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, two others later died in hospital. According to police, an officer was nearby when he heard gunfire just after 3:30 p.m. local time. He “neutralized the threat” and then called emergency services.
Major shootings occur with great regularity in the US; according to AP and USA Today data, there is an average of one mass shooting every week with four fatalities or more, not including the perpetrator.