A gunman shot and killed 9 individuals and wounded a minimum of seven others at a busy mall north of Dallas on Saturday, police mentioned.

The gunman, whom authorities mentioned they consider acted alone, was killed by a police officer after he started firing exterior of the Allen Premium Shops mall in Allen, Texas, the town’s police chief Brian Harvey mentioned at a press convention.

Allen fireplace division chief Jon Boyd instructed the identical press convention that his division took a minimum of 9 victims with gunshot wounds to space hospitals, two of whom died.

Medical Metropolis Healthcare, which runs 16 hospitals within the space, mentioned in a press release that its trauma facilities have been treating eight of the wounded victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 61. The hospital didn’t say what situation they have been in.

TV aerial photographs confirmed a whole bunch of individuals calmly strolling out of the mall, positioned about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dallas, after the violence unfolded, many with their arms up as scores of police stood guard.

One unidentified eyewitness instructed native ABC affiliate WFAA TV that the gunman was “strolling down the sidewalk simply … taking pictures his gun exterior,” and that “he was simply taking pictures his gun all over the place for probably the most half.”

Blood could possibly be seen on sidewalks exterior the mall and white sheets overlaying what gave the impression to be our bodies.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, calling the taking pictures an “unspeakable tragedy,” mentioned in a press release that the state was ready to supply any help native authorities might have.

Allen, Texas, is a group of about 100,000 individuals.

Mass shootings have develop into commonplace in the USA, with a minimum of 198 to date in 2023, probably the most at this level within the 12 months since a minimum of 2016, in line with the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit group defines a mass taking pictures as any wherein 4 or extra persons are wounded or killed, not together with the shooter.