By Brad Brooks and Brendan O’Brien

(Reuters) -A gunman shot and killed eight folks and wounded at the very least seven others at a busy mall north of Dallas on Saturday, police mentioned.

The gunman, whom authorities mentioned they assume acted alone and whose motive was not but recognized, was killed by a police officer after he started firing exterior of the Allen Premium Retailers mall in Allen, Texas, the town’s police chief Brian Harvey mentioned at a press convention.

Allen fireplace division chief Jon Boyd instructed the identical press convention that his division took at the very least 9 victims with gunshot wounds to space hospitals.

Two of these folks died on the hospital, Boyd mentioned at a second press convention Saturday evening. Three of the victims have been in vital situation and 4 others have been secure.

Medical Metropolis Healthcare, which runs 16 hospitals within the space, mentioned in a press release that its trauma facilities have been treating eight of the wounded victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 61.

Collin County Decide Chris Hill, the highest elected official within the county the place Allen sits, praised police and different first responders at a press convention, however expressed deep anger with “those who would do evil in our group, in our yard.”

Individually, police within the close by metropolis of Frisco, Texas, mentioned they’d evacuated the Stonebriar mall late Saturday after receiving reviews of pictures fired there. It was not but clear if a capturing had really taken place.  

SHOOTING EVERYWHERE

TV aerial photos confirmed a whole bunch of individuals calmly strolling out of the mall, positioned about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dallas, after the violence unfolded, many with their palms up as scores of police stood guard.

One unidentified eyewitness instructed native ABC affiliate WFAA TV that the gunman was “strolling down the sidewalk simply … capturing his gun exterior,” and that “he was simply capturing his gun in all places for probably the most half.”

Blood may very well be seen on sidewalks exterior the mall and white sheets protecting what seemed to be our bodies.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, calling the capturing an “unspeakable tragedy,” mentioned in a press release that the state was ready to supply any help native authorities may have.

Allen, Texas, is a group of about 100,000 folks.

Mass shootings have develop into commonplace in the USA, with at the very least 198 thus far in 2023, probably the most at this level within the 12 months since at the very least 2016, in response to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit group defines a mass capturing as any by which 4 or extra persons are wounded or killed, not together with the shooter.