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Nine people, including the suspect, are dead after a shooting Saturday at a Dallas-area outlet mall, authorities said.
Seven people died on scene at Allen Premium Outlets and two more were pronounced dead at the hospital, Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd said.
The Allen Fire Department had initially transported nine people to the hospital, where two later died, Boyd said. Three people remained in critical surgery on Saturday night and four were stabilized, he said.
Brian Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, Texas, north of Dallas, said earlier Saturday that the suspected shooter was “neutralized” by a city police officer who was responding to an unrelated call at the mall, he said.
The suspect was among the nine dead, Harvey said Saturday night.
Janet St. James, a spokesperson for Medical City Healthcare, which operates multiple trauma facilities in North Texas, said it received eight patients from the shooting who range in age from 5 to 61.
Law enforcement responded to reports of an “active shooter” at Allen Premium Outlets at 3:36 p.m., officials said.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described the situation as an “active shooter incident,” and said it was responding to the mall.
There was very little information available on the suspect. Speaking at an early evening news conference, Harvey said, “We believe he acted alone and we don’t believe that there’s another threat at this time.”
A silver sedan on the property appeared to have been shot and was in an area cordoned off by investigators, according to coverage from NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Responding law enforcement officers helped shoppers evacuate and cleared each retailer to ensure no dangers remained, according to witness accounts.
Multiple mall shoppers and employees said they heard gunfire and took cover where they could before fleeing or barricading themselves in back rooms.
Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in the Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.
“We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping,” Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press.
Employees immediately rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.
Several witnesses reported seeing bodies, some of which were covered.
Tarakram Nunna and Ramakrishna Mullapudi said they saw what appeared to be three people lying motionless on the ground, The Associated Press reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott called the situation an “unspeakable tragedy.”
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy,” he said.
The full support of the state was being made available to Allen officials and first responders, Abbott said. Resources include the officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, and state investigators, he said.
Allen police said the matter was under investigation and that people should stay away from the shopping center.
The FBI and other agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The shopping center occupies 69 acres and is operated by Simon Property Group, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It houses more than 120 retailers.
Allen is about 30 miles north of Dallas.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Andrew Blankstein, Cristian Santana, Clare Secrist, Joe Kottke, Emma Li and Associated Press contributed.
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