() — Eight people have died in the shooting at a shopping mall near Dallas, Texas, and seven victims are being treated at trauma centers, authorities said Saturday night. The attacker, who authorities believe acted alone, is also dead.
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said at least nine people were sent to hospitals. “Of those we transported, two have since died. Three are in critical surgery and four are stable,” Boyd said.
A Dallas-area medical group reported treating victims as young as 5.
Allen authorities responded to an afternoon shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, causing shoppers and workers to go into hiding.
There was a search for a second attacker, according to a source, but police now say they believe the attacker acted alone. Police said an Allen officer killed the shooter.
Law enforcement officers rushed to the scene and people were evacuated. LM Otero/AP
Images from the scene show hundreds of users leaving the area, many with their hands up. Aerial images appeared to show at least three bodies covered in sheets outside the mall.
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey described how the shooter was discharged. “One of our agents was on an unrelated call at the mall,” Harvey said. “He heard gunshots, went to the gunshots, confronted the suspect, and neutralized the suspect.”
Witnesses told they saw the shooter wearing all black and wearing tactical gear.
Police believe they have identified the vehicle of the deceased suspect, which was examined by the bomb squad as a precaution, the source says.
A photo appears to show the attacker’s AR-15-style weapon
This image shows an AR-15 style weapon. Image obtained by
obtained a photo of what appears to be the shooter during Saturday’s shooting in Allen, Texas, lying on the ground with what appears to be a police officer standing over him.
In the photo, the attacker appears to be wearing a bulletproof vest, with several additional magazines in his chest pack and an AR-15-type weapon nearby.
The photo appears to have been taken outside a restaurant in the mall.
does not show the face of the agent or the attacker due to the graphic nature of the photo. It only shows the weapon, the bulletproof vest and the chargers.
The alleged attacker, who has not been publicly identified, was shot dead by a police officer who responded to a call unrelated to the incident at the mall.
A country with almost 200 mass shootings so far in 2023
The mass shooting in Allen is the latest in a relentless series of gun violence across the country that has brought terror to supermarkets, schools, hospitals and other places normally considered safe. It comes just days after a gunman went on a rampage during a visit to an Atlanta medical center, allegedly fatally shooting at least one person with a handgun and wounding four others before being caught hours later.
The incident is one of at least 199 mass shootings this year in the US with four or more people shot, excluding the gunman, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Gov. Greg Abbott called the attack an “unspeakable tragedy” and said in a statement that “our hearts go out to the people of Allen, Texas.”
The City of Allen tweeted: “Our hearts go out to the individuals and families affected by this tragic event.”
Shoppers and employees entered storage areas and hid when they heard gunshots, correspondent Ed Lavandera was told. Witnesses said some people sheltered in place for up to two hours while police cleared the compound.
A witness said he saw a man holding his neck and “blood (was) dripping.”
Jaynal Pervez told affiliate KTVT that he arrived at the mall after his daughter, who was inside, called him about a shooting.
“We saw the police outside the gate and they told us we had to leave and they were still looking for the person,” Pervez said. “There are no more safe places. I don’t know what to do.”
Tony Wright, a resident whose home is behind the Allen Premium Outlets, said his family thought it was construction before realizing it was gunshots.
Wright said he was driving away from his home at the time and did not hear the shots, but his family called him moments later, “freaking crazy” and told him they heard shots.
“Everyone thought they were hammering,” he said of the noise of gunshots that sounded like construction.
However, he said that once they saw people fleeing the mall, the family closed the doors and took cover on the ground.
Emma Tucker, Ed Lavandera, and Phil Gast and Keith Allen contributed to this report.
