At least nine people were taken to hospital and an unspecified number of people died in a shooting at a Dallas-area outlet mall Saturday, authorities said, according to NBC News.
Brian Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, Texas, north of Dallas, said it was too early to give an accurate number of people killed at Allen Premium Outlets.
Allen is about 30 miles north of Dallas.
The suspected shooter was “neutralized” by a city police officer who was responding to an unrelated call at the mall, he said.
Officials did not provide conditions for the injured.
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. They range in age from 5 to 61, she said.
Law enforcement responded to reports of an “active shooter” at Allen Premium Outlets at 3:36 p.m. local time, officials said.
The US 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.”
Multiple mall shoppers and employees said they heard gunfire and took cover where they could before fleeing or barricading themselves in back rooms.
Governor Greg Abbott called the situation an “unspeakable tragedy.”
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy,” he said.