(Washington) A gunman opened fire on Saturday in a shopping center in the Dallas, Texas area, killing several people and injuring nine others according to the emergency services, which did not specify the number of dead.
The shooting took place at the Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling shopping center in the town of Allen, in the northeastern US state of Texas.
Local police chief Brian Harvey confirmed the death of several people while refusing to provide a toll, saying he lacked specific information.
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said his crews “transported nine victims to trauma centers.”
PHOTO LM OTERO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Law enforcement is on site at the Allen Premium Outlets. An investigation is underway. Please avoid the area until further notice,” local police tweeted.
A police officer was in the mall on another matter when shots rang out around 3:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m. EST), Harvey said, adding that the officer had ‘incapacitated the suspect’ .
State Governor Greg Abbott lamented an “unspeakable tragedy”.
There was initially talk of a possible second shooter, according to a witness on CNN, but Brian Harvey said police believe the neutralized suspect, whose identity is not yet known, “acted alone” .
The shooter was wearing tactical gear, according to CNN.
With more guns than people, the United States has the highest gun death rate of any developed country: 49,000 in 2021, down from 45,000 in 2020.
The Gun Violence Archive site has already recorded this year in the United States more than 195 mass killings, that is to say where four or more people were injured or killed.