Shooter, 8 victims killed at Allen Premium Outlets mall; 7 hospitalized, authorities say

Eight victims died and a police officer killed the shooter in a mass shooting Saturday afternoon at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, according to police.

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said seven people, including the shooter, were dead at the scene and nine victims were taken by authorities to trauma centers. Two of the victims died after arriving at hospitals. Three of the surviving victims were in critical condition and in surgery, while four were stable as of Saturday evening.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office told WFAA-TV that the victims included children.

Medical City Healthcare system said it was treating eight patients between the ages of 5 and 61. The ages and names of the victims who died have not been released.

Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey told reporters that an officer was on an unrelated call at the outlet mall at 3:36 p.m. when he heard gunshots and ran toward them.

“He engaged the suspect and neutralized the suspect,” Harvey said. He said that police were not looking for any other suspects and the gunman is believed to have acted alone. The gunman’s name has not been released.

Harvey said a multi-agency response helped evacuate hundreds of people from the mall and set up reunification areas.

A woman who said she saw the shooting told CBS 11 that the gunman fired 50 to 100 rounds. She described a large man, dressed in black and wearing a vest.

“It looked like a SWAT uniform without the letters ‘SWAT’ on it.”

U.S. Rep. Keith Self said in a statement on Twitter that, “A shooter is down and there are multiple casualties.”

Video from a TV news helicopter broadcast by KDFW-TV showed what appeared to be four white tarps outside the H&M store and blood on the concrete nearby. A witness who arrived about the same time as police also told the Star-Telegram that he saw bodies near H&M.

Multiple ambulances were called to the scene at 820 W. Stacy Road. According to a recording of police radio communications, officers and paramedics reported victims with gunshot wounds at stores including H&M, New Balance and Francesca’s. They also said witnesses described a shooter with an AR rifle.

Claudia Villanueva told the Star-Telegram that she was shopping with her family when they heard loud noises and thought at first that it might have been a car accident.

“But that’s not what it was,” Villanueva said in Spanish. “The manager of the stores started telling people to get down and get in the back because there is a shooting. We went to hide and after a while, police arrived. They were going from store to store to get people out who were hiding.

“We were escorted out by police with our hands up,” she said. “I honestly don’t know in which store the shooting started. I saw at the American Eagle store that the glass of the door was hit and broken. If we stayed over here any longer, we could have been hit.”

Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.

“It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside,” Payton told the Associated Press.

People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were lying nearby.

Once outside, Payton said, he saw bodies covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground. “I pray it wasn’t kids, but it looked like kids,” he said.

“It broke me when I walked out to see that,” he said.

Farther away, Payton saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered up.

At least 10 shots were heard and people were seen running in the parking lot of the mall in a video clip posted on social media by an account called Dallas Texas TV about 3:50 p.m.

Police were working immediately following the shooting to access people hiding inside the stores and escort them out, according to scanner traffic.

Crowds of people were still outside the mall Saturday evening, some waiting to meet family and others who had to wait to get access to their cars.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Dallas called the situation an active shooter incident. In a tweet at 4:30 p.m., the agency said, “ATF personnel are responding to the active shooter incident at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, TX. Allen Police Department is the point of contact and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Allen police said in a tweet about 4:20 that, “Law enforcement is on the scene at Allen Premium Outlets. An active investigation is underway. Please avoid the area until further update.” About 6:30 p.m., police said that the scene was secure.

“We were outside the Converse store and we just heard all this popping,” one witness, Elaine Penicaro, who was shopping with her daughter, told KDFW-TV. “We kind of all just stopped, and then a second later, just ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,’ and there were sparks flying like it was right in front of us.”

The TV station’s video showed hundreds of people leaving the mall about 5 p.m. Many had their hands raised.

“We are devastated by the tragic news of the shootings that took place at the Allen Premium Outlets today,” Rep. Self wrote on Twitter. “Our prayers are with the victims and their families and all law enforcement on the scene.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered the full support of the state to local officials.

“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy,” he said in a statement. “I have been in contact with Mayor (Ken) Fulk and DPS Director (Steven) 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 outdoor outlet mall is about 30 miles north of Dallas and is owned by Simon Property Group. It has about 120 stores. The city of Allen has a population of about 105,000.

Police asked that anyone who witnessed the shooting or has video footage to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.