‘At least 19 dead’ in gun attack at Texan mall
White suspect in his twenties caught on CCTV and detained at scene
AT LEAST 19 people were reportedly killed and dozens injured last night in a mass shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas.
A gunman armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle opened fire on victims as young as four months old in Cielo Vista mall at around 10am local time.
Most were shot in a Walmart store within the shopping complex before the shooter was detained at the scene, police said.
US media outlets named Patrick Crusius, 21, from Dallas, Texas, as the suspect.
A CCTV image showing a man walking into the mall brandishing an assault rifle was released by police. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and ear protectors.
It was initially reported that a man began shooting in the parking lot at the mall before moving inside.
One witness said he saw at least one person inside the store with a fatal head wound, and he saw shoppers in bloodied clothes.
Videos posted on social media showed customers at one store being evacuated with their hands up.
“We heard shots and saw smoke,” said Victor Gamboa, 18, who works at the McDonald’s inside the Walmart store where the shooting took place.
“I saw a man on the floor full of blood. He appeared to be dead. It happened very quickly.”
Dee Margo, El Paso’s mayor, confirmed that several people had died and told CNN: “This is a tragedy that I’m having a hard time getting my arms around.”
Olivia Zepeda, his chief of staff, also told the network that “multiple people have been killed in the shooting”.
Reacting to the news, Donald Trump, the US president, wrote on Twitter: “Terrible shootings in ElPaso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement. Spoke to Governor to pledge total support of Federal Government. God be with you all!”
One of the victims died after being taken to hospital for treatment.
The number of fatalities was unclear, with CBS News claiming as many as 19 people had been killed.
Officers said the mall was packed with back-to-school shoppers.
In a statement, Walmart said: “We’re in shock over the tragic events at Cielo Vista mall in El Paso. We’re praying for the victims, the community and our associates, as well as the first responders.”
Oscar Collazo, a restaurant manager, said: “We never thought it would be so close to us this time. You see it on the news all the time, but you don’t think it could happen here until it does.”
In a statement, Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, said El Paso had been “struck by a heinous and senseless act of violence”.
“Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific shooting and to the entire community in this time of loss,” he said.
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic presidential candidate, abandoned a campaign event in Las Vegas to return to El Paso, his home town.
Earlier, he spoke at a labour forum, telling the crowd the shooting shattered any illusion that gun reform will “come of its own accord” in the US.
“We know that there’s a lot of injury, a lot of suffering in El Paso right now,” he said.
The shooting took place within days of two people being shot and killed at a Walmart branch in Southaven Mississippi.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in west Texas across the border from Juarez, Mexico.