The United States is shrouded in the dark clouds of a blood bath as another mass shooting incident took place in Texas on Saturday. A shooter opened fire at an outlet mall of north of Dallas, killing at least nine people and leaving several injured.
The seven injured people were rushed to the hospital. Some of the victims were as young as five years old, according to the media reports.
Official statements
Speaking to the media, chief Brian Harvey of the Allen, Texas, police department said, a police officer was in the mall on an unrelated call when gunfire broke out around 3.30 PM (2030 GMT).
“He heard gunshots, went to the gunshots, engaged the suspect and neutralized the suspect,” Harvey said. “He also then called for ambulances.”
Earlier, the chief of the Allen confirmed that there had been fatalities but declined to give the exact death toll saying “We do not have an accurate count.”
Citing some figures, Allen fire chief Jonathan Boyd said that his department has transported nine victims to area trauma facilities.
‘Unspeakable Tragedy’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the mass shooting an “unspeakable tragedy.”
As per the media reports, Authorities initially thought there might be a second shooter at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling shopping complex in the city of Allen, 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of Dallas
There are several footages that surfaced through the internet. Footages showed Police combing through stores in the mall, and photos and drone video from the scene showed shoppers and store employees rushing into parking lots.
Harvey later said police believe the unidentified shooter, who was wearing tactical gear, “acted alone.”
A father who arrived at the mall after his daughter, who was inside, phoned to tell him about the shooting, also told police had informed him there may have been a second shooter.
“We saw the police outside the door, and they told us we had to go, and that they are still looking for the person,” Jaynal Pervez said, according to CNN.
“There are no more safe places. I don’t know what to do.”
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Highest rates of gun violence
With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country — 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 the year before.
There have been more than 195 mass shootings — defined as four or more people wounded or killed — so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
(With Input Feeds)
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