Mass Shooting in Texas Mall Claims Eight Lives

The shooter was shot dead by law enforcement, according to CNN.

Allen, Texas, Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said that at least nine people were sent to hospitals. “Of those that we transported, two have since died. Three are in critical surgery, and four are stable,” said Boyd.

A Dallas-area medical group says it was treating victims as young as 5 years old.

Authorities in Allen responded to the afternoon shooting at Allen Premium Outlets, prompting shoppers and workers to hide.

There was a search for a second gunman, according to a source, but police now say they believe the shooter acted alone. Police said an Allen officer killed the shooter.

Video from the scene showed hundreds of shoppers exiting the area, many holding their hands up.

Witnesses told CNN that they saw the gunman who was dressed all in black, and was wearing tactical gear.

The gunman, with an AR-15 style weapon nearby, appears to be wearing body armor with several extra magazines attached to chest gear.

Police believe they have identified the vehicle of the deceased suspect, which was being examined by the bomb squad as a precaution, the source says.

The mass shooting in Allen is the latest in a relentless series of gun violence across the US that has brought terror to supermarkets, schools, hospitals and other places typically considered safe. It comes just days after a gunman became enraged during a visit to an Atlanta medical facility, allegedly shooting dead at least one person with a handgun and injuring four others before he was caught hours later.

The tragedy comes a week after a man fatally shot five neighbors in Cleveland, Texas. The suspect was captured after a four-day manhunt.

In March, a mass shooting took place at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, in which six people were killed. The police shot the assailant after arriving on the scene.