Shooting a Walmart employee and stealing a salad bar in El Paso, Texas, where four killed and three wounded were taken into custody
A shooting at a mall in El Paso, Texas, that left one person dead and three others wounded sent patrons running or hiding in a community that was scarred by a rampage at a store three years ago.
An off-duty police officer who was working security in one of the mall’s stores was able to respond to the scene within three minutes and take a person into custody, Pacillas said. He did not say when, where or how the second person was apprehended.
More than a dozen people sprinting away from the sound of gunshots and paramedics wheeling in a stretcher, were captured on video from a bar inside the mall.
All four people shot were male, Pacillas said. Two of the injured were brought to the University Medical Center of El Paso in critical condition, the hospital told CNN. The third person was also hospitalized, but their condition isn’t known.
The mall is next to a Walmart that was the scene of a shooting in February that left 23 people dead. Last week, the 24-year-old gunman pleaded guilty to 90 federal charges as part of a plea deal.
The Wednesday shooting shatters the sense of security many Americans once felt in public places like grocery stores and schools.
In 2022, more than 600 mass shootings occurred in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Marie Hall was about to start her shift at a salad shop in the food court when she heard gunshots. She ran to the back of the restaurant and hid in a walk-in fridge with another employee and two customers, she said.
She told the affiliate that nothing prepares you for that. “I didn’t really feel safe (going to work) in the beginning because of the shooting in 2019. … It is definitely going to be more difficult to be going in to work.”
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Multiple law enforcement agencies, including El Paso police, the Texas Department of Public Safety and US Border Patrol, responded to the scene and worked into the night to clear the building and begin a preliminary investigation, police said.
The brother-in-law and sister-in-law of the man responsible for the fatal shooting at a nightclub in the city said that the political leadership is not accepting the full scope of the problem.
“We felt the same feelings come back to us as the day of the Walmart shooting. Everything comes back and we’re just wondering, now what? How many people are going to get hurt?” “I said that.”
Interim police chief Peter Pacillas said that Cielo Vista Mall was still considered a crime scene, and that it would remain locked down until authorities had completed their investigation.
A shooting took place in a shopping area and a parking lot of a Walmart, which was the location of a massacre where 23 people were shot to death. El Paso is located on a border between the U.S. and Mexico, where residents of both countries cross frequently.
Many of us have traumatic memories from the shooting at Cielo Vista Mall. Please know you are not alone,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said on Twitter.
The FBI has set up a website where the public can post photos or video from the El Paso shooting.
Greg Abbott offered help from the Texas Department of Public and Safety and the Texas Division of Emergency Management after speaking to the mayor of El Paso.
A civilian gunman stole a handgun in a mall shooting and shot himself in the foot: An off-duty officer helped in providing aid in El Paso
A civilian used his legally licensed gun to shoot and wound a suspect in a mall shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left one dead and three injured earlier this week, police said.
“As soon as the shooting ended, the 16-year-old suspect began to run and was pointing the gun towards the direction of bystanders,” police said. The suspect was shot by Duran as the suspect ran towards him.
Following the shooting, an off-duty police officer who was working security at a nearby store took the suspect into custody, officials said. The officer also helped in providing aid to the 16-year-old suspect, who was in stable condition Friday, police said.
The suspect has not been named because he is a minor, police said. The handgun the suspect used was reported stolen, police Sgt. Robert Gomez told reporters Friday night.
Charges against the suspect are pending as the investigation remains underway, police said, describing the shooting as a confrontation between two groups that escalated.