A shooting at a shopping center in Allen, Texas, in the United States, left at least eight dead and several injured. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, May 7, caused panic at Allen Premium Outlets, a shopping complex full of shoppers over the weekend. The shooter, whose identity has not been released, was neutralized by a police officer who was at the scene, and his body was one of the seven corpses found by the police. According to Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd, two of the people who were taken to the hospital died later, while three others are undergoing emergency surgery and four are in stable condition.
The mass shooting was described by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as an “indescribable tragedy,” and President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident. Authorities initially thought there might be a second shooter, but police later confirmed that they believe the man, who according to CNN was wearing tactical gear, acted alone.
The United States has the highest gun death rate of any developed country, and so far this year, there have been more than 195 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive. This latest shooting in Texas is a grim reminder of the need to take action to prevent gun violence in the United States, including the implementation of stricter gun control measures, the improvement of mental health care, and the prevention of gun use in mental health.