Texas Mall Shooting, 2023

Alex Phan, Journalist

On the 6th of May, a gunman entered the mall of Allen Premium Outlets in Texas and opened fire on the people inside. This mass shooting ended up killing eight people, three children, and injuring seven people. 

 

The reporter said that the gunman was a neo-nazi since he was seen with a nazi-related tattoo, and even his signature indicated that he was influenced by neo-nazi ideas. The FBI and state police went through his computer and cellphone for any manifesto, going over several social media accounts for any suspicious activity, but ultimately found nothing. The man’s house was empty as well.

 

The FBI and police also said the targeted location was just the general mall. The gunman didn’t have his eyes set on a certain group of people. Instead, he shot whoever he saw, no matter their age, sex, or race.

 

Photo of shoppers leaving the mall on Saturday, May 6th. WFAA, Via Associated Press, NY Times.

 

 

Photo of flowers and stuffed animals left at Allen Premium Outlets on May 7th, from Stewart F. House/Getty Images.

 

During the shooting, an officer was already stationed at the mall for an unrelated call when shots were heard. According to the chief of the Allen Police Department, the officer began to follow the sounds of the gunshots, tracking down the shooter and proceeding to kill him. The shooter was carrying an AR-15-style rifle and was found with several other weapons in his car.

 

Due to the number of victims who lost their lives during this attack, the Allen Premium Outlets shooting was deemed the second most fatal shooting of the year, with the gunman firing under the name of right-wing ideology and neo-nazism.

 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/allen-texas-mall-shooting-news-05-07-23/index.html

 https://www.nytimes.com/article/texas-mall-shooting-allen.html 

https://www.fox4news.com/news/allen-premium-outlets-reopens-after-deadly-mass-shooting