Video captures moment gunman pulls into parking lot at Texas mall
0:59
What we covered here
Eight victims are dead and at least seven more are wounded after a shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, local officials said.
The suspected gunman is also dead, according to authorities. The city’s police chief said an officer heard the gunshots, found the shooter and “neutralized” them.
Officers escorted large crowds of shoppers through the parking lot and off the property following the shooting, helicopter video from a CNN affiliate showed.
Allen is a suburb of Dallas, located about 25 miles north of the city.
27 Posts
Link Copied!
Our live coverage of the Allen, Texas, mall shooting has moved here.
Link Copied!
'Special place in hell' for people who block gun control measures, state senator says
From CNN’s Josh Campbell
Roland Gutierrez speaks during a news conference in Austin, Texas on January 24.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat whose district encompasses Uvalde, blasted politicians who refuse to enact meaningful reform measures in the wake of Saturday’s massacre in Allen.
Uvalde, a city roughly 75 miles west of downtown San Antonio, is where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school last May.
Link Copied!
Photo appears to show gunman's AR-15 style weapon, body armor, and extra magazines
From CNN’s Ashley Killough in Allen, TX and Keith Allen in Atlanta
This picture shows an AR-15 style weapon.
Obtained by CNN
CNN has obtained a photo of what appears to be the gunman in 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 shooter appears to be wearing body armor, with several extra magazines on the chest gear and an AR-15 style weapon nearby.
The photo appears to have been taken outside a restaurant at the mall.
CNN is not showing the officer or the gunman’s face due to the graphic nature of the photo. It is showing only the weapon, the body armor and the magazines.
The suspected gunman, who has not been publicly identified, was shot and killed by a police officer who was responding to an unrelated call at the mall. The shooter is thought to have acted alone, according to officials.
Link Copied!
Texas has loosened gun laws in recent years
From CNN's Emma Tucker
Texas has loosened restrictions on gun ownership in recent years amid several high-profile mass shootings that have devastated its communities.
Recent shootings include an incident in Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school last May.
In 2021, legislation went into effect allowing most Texans who legally own a firearm to carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit or training.
A 2022 study found that states with weaker gun laws have higher rates of gun deaths, including homicides and suicides.
Link Copied!
Ted Cruz: "Heidi and I are praying for the families of the victims"
From CNN's Chloe Liu
Texas Senator Ted Cruz expressed his condolences for the victims of the mall shooting in a tweet on Saturday evening.
In a subsequent tweet, he added that his team was in contact with local officials.
He also thanked “the incredible law enforcement who put a stop to the monster who committed this act of evil.”
Link Copied!
Congressman: Community owes “debt of gratitude” to first responders in Allen mall shooting
From CNN's Andy Rose
Keith Self speaks via Cisco WebEx on Saturday.
CNN
The congressman whose district includes Allen, Texas, says the mall shooting that killed eight victims could have been worse if not for the quick response to the gunfire.
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said a member of his force who happened to already be on duty at the mall when the shooting broke out had killed the gunman. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the first responders that ran toward the gunfire and acted swiftly to neutralize the threat,” Self said.
Officials identified neither the shooter nor any of the victims Saturday night. Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said three people remain in critical condition.
“We’re angry about those that would do evil in our community and in our backyard,” Collin County Judge Chris Hill said at the conference.
Link Copied!
Vigil for the victims to be held at 5 p.m. Sunday
A vigil for the victims of the shooting will be held at 5 p.m. central time on Sunday, according to state representative Jeff Leach.
The vigil will be held at the Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church in Allen.
“Tomorrow will be a great night of healing, a much needed night of healing and hope,” Leach said at a press conference on Saturday.
Link Copied!
An officer on an unrelated call responded to the scene and killed the shooter
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey speaks at a news conference Saturday.
KTVT
A police officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call heard the shooting and immediately responded, killing the gunman, according to officials.
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said at a Saturday evening press conference that the officer was attending to another call at the Allen Premium Outlets when the deadly attack began.
Police have not named the alleged shooter.
Link Copied!
Authorities believe gunman acted alone
Authorities believe the gunman who killed eight and left several others injured was acting alone, according to a Saturday evening press conference. The gunman was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Brian Harvey, chief of police for the Allen Police Department, said:
Link Copied!
Eight victims and suspected gunman dead after Allen shooting
Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd speaks at a news conference Saturday.
KTVT
Eight victims and the suspected gunman died in the fatal mall shooting on Saturday, according to Jonathan Boyd, fire chief for the Allen Fire Department.
He said that seven people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others, who were transported to the hospital, are also dead. Three victims are in critical surgery and four are stable.
Link Copied!
Two victims taken to hospital were dead on arrival, source says
From CNN’s Ed Lavandera
Two of the victims taken to the hospital after the mall shooting in Allen, Texas, were pronounced dead on arrival, a law enforcement source told CNN.
At a news conference earlier on Saturday, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey was not able to provide a number of those killed in the shooting.
Link Copied!
Teen witness describes “anxious, tense, and terrifying” scene as he hid in stock room
A teenager working at the mall described the anxious hours he spent hiding in a stock room after the shooting began.
Eighteen-year-old Max Weiss told CNN’s Ed Lavandera that he works at the outlet mall in Allen, Texas, where the deadly attack unfolded.
Weiss said he heard gunshots for as long as three minutes. He said he and other employees and customers locked the front door to the store and huddled in the stock room after hearing someone yelling, “There’s a shooter.”
He described the scene as “anxious, tense, and terrifying.”
He turned on the police scanner on his phone and the group listened in to the radio traffic, he said.
According to Weiss, the group waited nearly two hours for law enforcement officers to come into the store and escort them out of the parking lot area with their arms in the air.
Link Copied!
This is the 199th mass shooting this year, third on Saturday
Emergency personnel work the scene of a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas on May 6.
Stewart F. House/Getty Images
The attack in Allen is one of at least 199 mass shootings in the US this year, in which four or more people have been shot, excluding a gunman, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
It is one of three mass shootings that took place on Saturday, as recorded by the archive. In the early hours of Saturday, a shooting at a party in Chico, California, left five people injured and one dead.
Additionally, a shooting in Columbus, Ohio, left three people injured and one dead, according to the archive.
The latest attack comes just days after a 24-year-old gunman allegedly shot one person dead at a medical facility in Atlanta and injured four others.
Link Copied!
Video shows people running as gunshots ring out in outlet mall parking lot
From CNN's Sharif Paget
Denison De Souza, 42, was in the parking lot of Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday afternoon when he filmed a video of people running as gunshots rang out.
At least five shots are heard at the start of De Souza’s video, followed by more gunfire. People can be heard screaming and seen running.
De Souza told CNN that he did not see the shooter. “Just heard shots and made my way out,” he said.
He’s glad to be alive after the deadly shooting, he told CNN.
“But I’m sad for those who lost their lives today,” he added.
Link Copied!
Witnesses say they saw injured victims, hid in back of stores at outlet mall
People raise their hands as they leave the shopping center after the shooting Saturday in Allen, Texas.
LM Otero/AP
Shoppers and employees scrambled into storage areas and hid when they heard gunshots at a Texas outlet mall Saturday, they told CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera at the scene.
Witnesses said some people sheltered in place for up to two hours as law enforcement cleared the sprawling complex, Lavandera reports.
One witness told Lavandera that he saw a man holding his neck, and “blood (was) just dripping down.”
Many people at the outlet mall had to leave their belongings and cars behind, Lavandera reports.
Link Copied!
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: "Join us in prayer for the victims’ families and friends"
From CNN's Jamiel Lynch
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement today following news of the shooting in Allen, Texas, expressing his mourning for the victims and thanking first responders.
“Please join Jan and me in mourning the victims of the unspeakable tragedy in Allen. Please also join us in prayer for the victims’ families and friends along with the residents of Allen. We are grateful for our brave first responders who were deployed to stop the shooter and investigate this hideous crime. We are thankful for their bravery and courage,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbot called the shooting an “unspeakable tragedy.”
Link Copied!
President Biden has been briefed on the Texas shooting
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the deadly shooting that happened Saturday at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, a White House official told CNN.
“The White House is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with law enforcement and local officials to offer support,” a White House official said.
News of the shooting emerged as Biden headed to church Saturday evening. As he was leaving church, he told reporters who asked about the shooting that he was “unaware” of the situation.
Biden was subsequently briefed Saturday evening after he returned to the White House.
Link Copied!
Texas lawmaker says critics of prayer as shooting response “are people that don’t believe in an almighty God”
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
Texas Rep. Keith Self speaks to CNN on Saturday.
CNN
Texas Rep. Keith Self said his prayers are with victims, their families and law enforcement officers who are investigating the shooting in Allen, Texas, declining to outline specific actions he would take to address shootings when pressed by a CNN anchor.
Self represents Texas’ 3rd Congressional District, which includes Allen.
Asked by CNN’s Paula Reid what — in his capacity as a lawmaker — could be done to better prevent mass shootings, the lawmaker said he was “focused on the families and the victims today.”
When asked to respond to critics who say prayers aren’t enough to prevent shootings, he told CNN: “Well, those are people that don’t believe in an almighty God who is absolutely in control of our lives. I’m a Christian. I believe that he is.”
Self said he wanted to know the motive of the shooter and whether they had a criminal record or mental health issues.
“We have people though with mental health that we’re not taking care of,” Self told Reid. “Since this nation made the decision that we were going to close the mental health institutions, many of these situations are based on that.”
Hospital treating victims as young as 5 years old after Allen outlet mall shooting
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Emergency vehicles arrive at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas.
KTVT
A Dallas-area medical group said it is treating victims as young as 5 years old from Saturday’s shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas.
“Of those involved, 8 victims ranging from 5 to 61 years old are being treated at Medical City Healthcare trauma facilities,” the group said in a statement Saturday evening.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the first responders, victims, their loved ones, and the North Texas community during this tragic event,” Medical City Healthcare said.
Medical City Healthcare has more than a dozen healthcare facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said earlier Saturday that his department took nine people to local hospitals, but added that there may be more victims who were not taken by ambulance. Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said there were fatalities in the shooting, but added that authorities don’t yet have an accurate number of how many people died.
CNN’s Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.
Link Copied!
Texas governor calls shooting an “unspeakable tragedy”
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called Saturday’s shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets an “unspeakable tragedy.”
Law enforcement is at the scene of the shooting, where the city’s fire chief says at least nine people were rushed to the hospital.
