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A gunman fired into a crowd at a suburban Dallas outlet mall Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring seven others as horrific images of severely wounded shoppers hit social media and brought the number of mass shootings in the U.S. to 200 so far in 2023.
At least three of the survivors are critically injured. The gunman was fatally shot by a police officer in the area who responded quickly.
Early reports from police and witnesses said a gunman pulled up in a silver sedan at the Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, about 30 miles from downtown Dallas. The unidentified man began firing on people walking on sidewalks outside the outlet center, a popular shopping spot with many upscale stores such as Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein and Ann Taylor.
The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that the administration had offered support to local officials. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has signed laws easing firearms restrictions following past mass shootings, called it an “unspeakable tragedy.”
Saturday’s mass shooting was the nation’s third of the day, following others in Chico, Calif. and Columbus, Ohio, on an afternoon when many Americans were focused on the Kentucky Derby and summer-like weather. Mass killings are happening with staggering frequency in the United States this year: an average of about one a week, according to an analysis of The AP/USA Today data. The Gun Violence Archive shows the Texas shooting is the 200th in the nation this year and the 12th in May.
Witnesses to the Texas shooting said several of the victims appeared to be children, and that they saw a police officer and a mall security guard who appeared to be unconscious on the ground. Dashcam video circulating on social media shows the gunman stepping out of a car and firing more than two dozen shots as terrified shoppers dove for cover and screamed for help.
