ALLEN — A gunman fatally shot eight people and wounded seven others Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets mall before being killed by a police officer.
In dashcam video circulated widely online, a person is seen getting out of a silver sedan in the parking lot. Leaving the driver’s door open, the shooter opens fire at people on a sidewalk.
Dozens of shots can be heard as the gunman approaches the shoppers and the vehicle recording the footage slowly drives away.
Allen police said an officer nearby on an unrelated call heard the gunfire just after 3:30 p.m., “engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat” and then called for emergency responders.
The shooter, who police said acted alone, was one of seven people declared dead on scene.
At a news conference late Saturday, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said of the nine people hospitalized, two later died, three were in critical condition and four were stable. No additional information about the victims was released, but a statement from Medical City Healthcare said the hospital system had received eight victims ranging from age 5 to 61.
Authorities did not release any information about the gunman or the officer.
“There are many, many people in our community tonight who are hurting, whose lives have been shattered and who need and deserve our collective prayers,” state Rep. Jeff Leach said at the news conference.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill said he lives near the mall and his family shops there. He said they are heartbroken and confused even as he’s thankful for the quick response by first responders and support from state and local officials.
”We are angry about those that would do evil in our community, in our backyard,” Hill said. “As a community, we will respond and we will get past this together.”
In a written statement, Gov. Greg Abbott said he had been in contact with Allen Mayor Ken Fulk.
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas, tonight during this unspeakable tragedy,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Allen Premium Outlets said mall officials were “horrified by today’s senseless tragedy and outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the police officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders.”
Allen police asked witnesses and anyone with video of the shooting to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324.
Law-enforcement response
Allen police said a number of law-enforcement agencies helped secure the scene of the shooting and that there was no longer an active threat Saturday evening.
Dozens of vehicles from agencies across North Texas were parked near the mall throughout the afternoon and evening, including Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Wylie police, the Collin County constable, ATF and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Shortly after 5 p.m., hundreds of people could be seen leaving the mall in footage from a news helicopter, many of them with their hands up. Outside an H&M store, at least four white tarps could be seen beside what appeared to be blood on the concrete.
A crowd of at least 500 people huddled close together near a police blockade about an hour later. Some waited to reunite with family members while others had come from nearby, wondering what was happening.
As a crowd waited by the side of the road, a child clung to a man sitting in the grassy area. The group was so large that it spilled into traffic lanes that were blocked off by law enforcement as police tried to move them off of the street.
Dominic Murga was handing out cold water bottles on the sidewalk near Stacy Road. Murga said his sister-in-law was stuck in Spencer’s, so he came to pick her up.
Once he saw all the people, he said he went back to his home and grabbed cases of water from his garage along with an ice chest from his neighbor.
”We got to go out there and help people,” Murga said. “This is crazy.”
A matter of minutes
Bobby and Deirdra Gordon, husband and wife from Arkansas, had just walked into the Banana Republic when the shooting took place. Deirdra Gordon said “all of a sudden you heard ‘pow pow pow.’”
They saw everyone running away and sheltered in the back of the store until police ordered them to be escorted out.
”They had us slowly walk out of the store with our hands up,” Deirdra Gordon said.
Once they exited, the couple said they saw three bodies on a sidewalk. Bobby Gordon said he saw bullet holes in the window of another store, along with a wounded man being carried out of a restaurant.
“Literally we would’ve been standing out there, one or two minutes earlier we would’ve been in the middle of it,” Deirdra Gordon said.
Dale and Sheila Faulks, who live in the Longview area, were in town for a conference and went to the mall to buy shoes for their daughters.
A few minutes after they arrived at the Crocs store, they were told to shelter in place. Sitting in a storage room, Sheila Faulks started praying and hoped for people to be quiet so she could hear instructions from authorities.
Authorities eventually banged on the door and told them to walk out with their hands up.
”It was a scary moment,” she said. “It puts you in a different frame of mind. It was an uneasy moment.”
‘Just chaos’
The mall, about 35 miles north of Dallas, is owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, which could not be immediately reached for comment. With 120 stores, it’s one of the busiest shopping centers in North Texas and sits at an intersection that’s a destination for shoppers.
Shortly before 7 p.m., about 200 people were still waiting across the street from the mall. Law enforcement told people it would be a long time before they could retrieve their cars.
Brishon Brisby, 27, and her family drove from North Dallas to the outlet mall to return a pair of shoes Saturday afternoon. She said that while they were near the Tory Burch store she heard distant gunfire and police yelling “shots fired.”
She later heard a second round of shots and people running, screaming and crying. Police chased her out of the parking lot, she said, while sitting on a curb.
Brisby said she fears nowhere is safe: “If it can happen today, it can happen tomorrow.”
Colin Palakiko, 36, who drove in from Corinth to stock up on beachwear for a vacation, sheltered in the back of the Tory Burch store with more than 50 others.
Police evacuated the store after about 45 minutes, he said, and shoppers walked out single file with their hands up. He saw cars and windows shot out and belongings scattered on the sidewalk.
”What would have been a great day … has become traumatic and we will never forget this,” he said. ”That’s becoming the norm, and that’s just not acceptable.”
Joseph Adams, 45, said he was with his 12-year-old son at the Nike store when they heard a “series of loud cracks and bangs.”
”I almost thought a car had driven through the front of the building,” Adams said. “That’s how loud it was.”
After leaving the store through an emergency exit, Adams drove his truck past the H&M, where he saw at least four people lying on the sidewalk. Adams said he grabbed clothing from his truck to help pack wounds, including those of a child who had been struck in the neck.
”People were yelling for help, for ambulances, as cops drove by looking for the shooter,” he said. “It was just chaos. I did everything I could think of to help, and as a teacher, all I want to do is help kids, but it’s horrible to think it was at the risk of my own kid seeing it.”
Staff writers Maria Halkias and Aarón Torres contributed to this report.
