1 of 10 | Mourners visit a memorial display Sunday for the eight victims of the shooting at Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI |
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May 7 (UPI) -- A mass shooting at a Dallas-area outlet mall killed eight -- in addition to the shooter -- and wounded several others, Allen, Texas, police said.
The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. Witnesses told WFAA-TV in Dallas that they saw the shooter near a Fatburger restaurant at the mall.
The suspected gunman was identified Sunday evening by the Texas Department of Public Safety as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. According to reports from CNN, NBC and CBS News, he was a neo-Nazi sympathizer who lived in Dallas.
Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd, in a late news conference, said nine people were transported to area hospitals for treatment. Two later died, leaving three in critical condition and four stable.
Medical City Healthcare said it received eight of the victims, ranging in age from 5 to 61 years old.
The Allen Police Department said one of its officers was responding to an unrelated call nearby when they heard the gunfire. The officer "engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat," police said, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Authorities haven't released the identity of the victims, or the motive for the shooting. Police believe the shooter acted alone.
Police also haven't revealed what kind of weapon the gunman used, but CNN reported he used an AR-15-style weapon based on photos obtained from the scene. He also had a handgun and was reportedly wearing a tactical vest with a "right-wing acronym" patch on his chest.
Footage from the scene in the hours after the shooting showed hundreds of shoppers being evacuated from the sprawling outdoor mall.
One witness, Joseph Adams, told The News he saw at least four victims lying on the ground outside an H&M store. He said he used clothing from inside his vehicle to help bandage the wounds, including those of a child shot in the neck.
"People were yelling for help, for ambulances, as cops drove by looking for the shooter," Adams said. "It was just chaos. I did everything I could think of to help, and as a teacher, all I want to do is help kids, but it's horrible to think it was at the risk of my own kid seeing it."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he was working with Allen Mayor Ken Fulk and other local authorities "to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including [Texas Department of Public Safety] officers, Texas Rangers and investigative resources."
The Republican governor later tweeted photos from Allen where he attended a community vigil for those killed.
A statement from the White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the situation and had been in contact with local officials and law enforcement. He ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.
"Yesterday, an assailant in tactical gear armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon gunned down innocent people in a shopping mall, and not for the first time. Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar," Biden said.
According to nonprofit The Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 200 mass shootings, which it defines as a shooting in which at least four people were killed, so far this year.