Survivors are describing scenes of horror following a mass shooting on Saturday in which nine people, including the shooter, were killed at a mall in Allen, Texas.
The shooting began around 3:30 p.m. at the Allen Premium Outlets, law enforcement said. Video from a dashcam widely circulated on social media shows the gunman getting out of a silver sedan and beginning to fire into a crowd of people on the sidewalk.
A police officer in the area on an unrelated call heard the shots fired over the radio and was able to arrive at the mall, where he "engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat," officials said. The gunman was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, a suspected neo-Nazi and white supremacist sympathizer who was allegedly armed with an AR-15 and other weapons.
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"I turned around and I saw two ladies rushing towards me, and then one was like 'Someone's shooting! Someone's shooting!'" witness Kingsley Ezeh told CNN, adding that he saw a man holding his neck, and "blood [was] just dripping down."
"The shooting happened over and over and over again. It was nonstop," witness Kimberly Blakey told the outlet after fleeing the parking lot with her daughter.
A pretzel stand employee, Maxwell Gum, described a similarly chaotic scene, telling The Associated Press, "We started running. Kids were getting trampled. My co-worker picked up a 4-year-old girl and gave her to her parents." Gum added that he sheltered in a storage room, telling AP there was a "virtual stampede" of shoppers.
Increased mass shootings have renewed calls for gun control. President Biden released a condolence statement, as did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who previously signed laws easing firearms restrictions.
