According to emergency services, a gunman has killed eight people at a shopping mall in Allen, Texas, while injuring at least seven others, some of whom are critically ill. Eyewitnesses reported that the attacker was firing at people indiscriminately, and police believe that he acted alone. The victims’ ages range from 5 to 51, and some of them are reported to be children. The police neutralized the suspect after engaging him in a gunfight. Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed his condolences and offered assistance to the local authorities, describing the incident as an “unspeakable tragedy.”
US police are collecting evidence and have requested members of the public who captured video at the scene to contact the FBI following the shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas. Witnesses reported the gunman was dressed in black combat gear and footage taken after the incident showed an AR-15 style rifle near his body. The city has a population of approximately 105,000 residents and is located 20 miles north of Dallas.
In Texas, most adults aged 21 or over are permitted to carry a handgun without a license unless they have a previous conviction. There are few restrictions on possession of rifles and shotguns in the state, which is controlled by Republicans. The US has experienced 198 mass shootings with four or more people killed or wounded so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, the highest number since at least 2016.
An eyewitness named Fontayne Payton, who was shopping at H&M during the shooting, heard gunshots through his headphones and saw bodies outside the mall when he was allowed to leave. He expressed his hope that the victims were not children but said it “broke” him to see the scene. Allen Mayor Ken Fulk called the shooting a “tragic day” for the city and praised the quick response of the police and fire departments.
Texas Senator John Cornyn expressed his condolences to the Allen community and lauded the response of the first responders. Earlier in the week, a man accused of shooting dead five neighbors, including a nine-year-old boy, was arrested by police in Texas after a four-day manhunt.
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