Texas Mall Shooting Sees at Least Nine Killed, Including Gunman

A mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall has left at least nine dead, including the shooter, and at least seven injured, law enforcement officials said Saturday.

The gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas on Saturday afternoon, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said at a media briefing. An officer with the department was at the outlet mall on an unrelated call when he heard gunshots at 3:36 p.m. local time, shortly before he "engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat."

The incident sent shoppers and employees scrambling for safety at the outdoor mall, about 40 miles from Dallas.

The injured include three people in critical condition and four in stable condition, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said Saturday evening.

Newsweek reached out via email, phone and social media to the Allen Police Department and Collin County Sheriff's Office.

The victims, who have not yet been identified publicly, range in age from 5 years old to 61 years old.

Allen Mayor Ken Fulk said in a statement that the community must "remain strong and stand united."

"Allen is a proud and safe city which makes today's senseless act of violence even more shocking," Fulk said. "However, I want to commend our police and fire departments for their quick response. Their thorough training not to hesitate to move toward the threat likely saved more lives today."

A vigil for the victims will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church, according to state Representative Jeff Leach, who said he lives near the outlet mall.

"Tomorrow will be a great night of healing, a much-needed night of healing and hope," Leach said Saturday evening.

Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement Saturday on the "unspeakable tragedy."

"Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy," Abbott said in the online statement. "I have been in contact with Mayor Fulk and DPS Director McCraw as well as other state and local leaders and offered the full support of the State of Texas to local officials to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including DPS officers, Texas Rangers, and investigative resources."

The news of the shooting garnered attention across social media from gun control activists, including Shannon Watts.

"Bodies under sheets outside a mall in Allen, Texas. We are not numb, we're traumatized. We are not numb, we're traumatized. We are not numb, we're traumatized. We are not numb, we're traumatized. We are not numb, we're traumatized. We are not numb, we're traumatized," Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, said on Twitter.

Police said they believe the shooter acted alone in the nation's 199th mass shooting this year. It was the nation's second mass shooting in Texas in just over a week, according to data collection and research group Gun Violence Archive.