a gunman Open fire at a busy shopping center north of Dallas yesterday, killing at least eight people and injuring seven others before he was shot dead, authorities said. It is the second-deadliest mass shooting in the US this year.
Authorities did not identify the gunman but said he acted alone.
There have been 199 shooting deaths of at least four people this year in the US, according to the Gun Violence Archives database. And special series of mass shootings happened in recent days. Last weekend, outside Houston, a gunman shot dead five people after neighbors asked him to stop shooting in his yard.
Texas has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country, boasting more than 1 million gun owners despite recent mass shootings. Many authorities in Texas say they have seen increase in a flash firefight since September 2021, when the state began allowing most adults to carry handguns without a permit.
Yesterday’s shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas since the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde in May 2022. Monterey Park, Calif., mass shooting in January, in which a gunman killed 11 people in a ballroom, has killed more people in a US shooting this year.
How does it open
Gunfire began around 3:30 p.m. at Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor mall with more than 120 stores about 25 miles north of Dallas. Allen, a suburb of Dallas, has about 100,000 residents and the mall is one of the largest in the area.
The gunman got out of his car and then began shooting at people on the sidewalk, according to the video that went viral online. The Dallas Morning News reported. Dozens of shots rang out as he approached the shoppers. Videos on social media also showed people rushing for shelter or running through a parking lot amid loud noises.
Sheriff Allen said a police officer at the mall rushed towards the sound of gunfire and killed the gunman.
Witnesses described a familiar scene of chaos. Geoffrey Keaton was having lunch when he heard gunfire. “I knew right away,” he told The Times. “I put my little daughter under the counter to shield her, and then they got bigger, like he was right there.”
What we don’t know
Little is known about the victims; Authorities have yet to identify them. Seven people died at the mall, and two others died later at the hospital. A hospital spokesman said the number of injured was between five and 61. Three were in critical condition and four were in stable condition.
Authorities have not determined the gunman’s motive.
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