El Paso shopping mall shooting; One person was kill and three others. Were wind in a shooting Wednesday night at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, police said.
Two people, both men, are in custody and the public is no longer in danger. El Paso Interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said at a news conference Wednesday night.
“It was chaotic. People fled. They were scare,” says the police chief. said Robert Gomez. The condition of the third injured person is unclear, a man who, according to Gomez, was also hospitalize. The mall is located right next to Walmart, where a 2019 shooting killed 23 people and injured nearly two dozen. The 24-year-old gunman pleaded guilty to 90 federal charges last week as part of a plea deal.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 70 mass shootings in the United States. So far this year. Both AZ24 News and the archive define a “mass shooting” as a shooting in which four or more people. Not including the shooter, are injure or killed.
El Paso shopping mall shooting; After Wednesday’s shooting, it happened around 5 p.m. local time. An off-duty police officer at a store in the mall arrived within minutes. Took a man into custody, Pacillas said. He did not say when, where or how the second man was arrest.
Multiple law enforcement agencies including the El Paso Police Department. The Texas Department of Public Safety. The US Border Patrol responded to the scene after several people called 911 to report an active shooter.
The scene was later secure and authorities worked into the night to clear the building and begin a preliminary investigation, police said.
Investigators initially believe the shooting happened in the mall’s food court area, Gomez said. To aid the investigation, the FBI has set up a website where people can submit photos and videos of themselves
Brandon Chavez, 29, said he was working at the Buckle clothing store across the street from the restaurant when the shooting happened Wednesday. He helped customers and other employees barricade the store and brought people into the warehouse where they waited to come out, he told AZ24 News. Chavez also worked at the mall when the 2019 shooting Happened at a nearby Walmart. , adding that at the time he was also hiding there with others.
Robert Gonzalez was at the mall on Wednesday and during the 2019 shoot. On Wednesday, he “saw people rushing to the exits,” and videos he shot showed several malls with security gates closed and several police cars outside.
“The last time I worked at the mall was when it happened with the Walmart shooting, so it just brought back bad memories,” he said. he told AZ24 News.
A meeting center has been set up at the nearby Burges High School, where people who cannot contact their loved ones can get information, Gomez said.
