Shooting At Texas Shopping Mall Leaves One Dead, Three Wounded

The El Paso Police Department said hours after the gunfire that two people had been taken into custody.

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Authorities in El Paso, Texas, said one person was killed and three other people were injured on Wednesday after a shooting in Cielo Vista Mall.

The El Paso Police Department said hours after the gunfire that two people had been taken into custody, though the specifics of what preceded the shooting remained unclear, reported news agency The Associated Press.

The two suspects detained following the shooting, according to Pacillas, were both men, as were all the victims.

The Cielo Vista Mall, according to interim police chief Peter Pacillas, is still regarded as a crime scene and will remain shut until officials have completed their investigation.

“There is no more danger. I want to repeat that: There is no more danger to the public,” Pacillas said. 

Two gunshot victims receiving treatment at University Medical Center in El Paso are in critical condition, said the medical centre in a statement. The third victim's status wasn't immediately known, reported The Associated Press.

Police earlier said the shooting was reported at the shopping mall’s food court.

Wednesday’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall happened in a busy shopping area and across a large parking lot from a Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people on August 3, 2019.

“Today’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall has brought back traumatic memories for many of us. Please know you are not alone,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said on Twitter.

She urged anybody in need to call the city's helpline. At a nearby high school, authorities established a reunification centre where anyone impacted by the shooting could get in touch with loved ones.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 600 mass shootings occurred in the United States in 2022, each resulting in at least four fatalities or wounded.