1 killed, 3 wounded after shooting at mall in El Paso; 2 in custody

EL PASO, Texas — One person was killed and three others were wounded after a gunman opened fire at a mall on Wednesday evening in El Paso, Texas, authorities said.

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Sgt. Robert Gomez, a spokesperson for the El Paso Police Department, confirmed that four people were shot at the El Cielo Mall, KVIA-TV reported. The mall is located near a Walmart where a mass shooting claimed 23 lives in 2019.

“We can confirm that one person is deceased and the other three have been transported to local hospitals,” Gomez said.

Update 11:27 p.m. EST Feb. 15: According to El Paso interim Chief Peter Pacillas, there are two men in custody and there is “no danger to the public.” Pacillas added that all of the shooting victims were males.

Pacillas said two off-duty officers were at the mall and responded within three minutes of the initial 911 call at 5:08 p.m. MST.

Original report: The shooting occurred at the mall at about 5:05 p.m. MST, the El Paso Times reported. Gomez said he believed the shooting occurred at the mall’s food court near the Dillard’s department store but could not confirm that.

In a text alert at 5:49 p.m. MST, the El Paso Police Department said the scene was “still active,” KTSM-TV reported.

Ryan Mielke, director of Public Affairs for University Medical Center El Paso, told KTSM that two people were admitted to their hospital in critical condition. KVIA confirmed through hospital officials that the two victims are men.

Gomez said that one person was in custody and that authorities were looking for a possible second person who may have been involved in the shooting, KVIA reported.

“We don’t have any active shooters at this time,” Gomez told reporters. “All we know right now (is) that it’s isolated to Cielo Vista Mall.”

Gomez did not comment on a possible motive or what led to the shooting.

“It was chaotic. People did flee,” Gomez told reporters. “They were scared,” Gomez said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke with El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, and offered “full support.”

Wednesday’s shooting came less than a week after a Texas man accused of killing 23 people and injuring dozens more at a Walmart in El Paso on Aug. 3, 2019, pleaded guilty to 90 federal charges.

Patrick Crusius, 24, appeared in an El Paso courtroom to plead guilty in a shooting that was one of the deadliest in U.S. history.