Texas mass shooting – 8 dead including children in shopping mall
A gunman has opened fire at a shopping mall in Allen, Texas, killing eight people, including children, and injuring at least seven others. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall as eyewitnesses described a man firing indiscriminately at passers-by. Police believe the gunman acted alone and was later shot dead by officers.
Some witnesses described the gunman as dressed all in black and wearing combat gear, and footage taken after the gunman’s death appeared to show an AR-15 style rifle lying near his body.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy,” and the police have asked members of the public with video captured at the scene to contact the FBI, as they collect evidence.
Texas is known for its lax gun laws, with most adults aged 21 or over allowed to carry a handgun without a licence, and few restrictions on possession of rifles and shotguns. This is the most mass shootings at this point in the year since at least 2016, with at least 198 mass shootings in which four or more people were killed or wounded in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.