Joe Biden again urged the US Congress on Sunday to ban assault rifles after a gunman opened fire at a mall in Texas, killing eight people including children. This new massacre in the United States caused panic on Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets, a large shopping center in the city of Allen, located some 40 kilometers north of Dallas, where many customers had come to do their weekend shopping. end.
The suspect was “neutralized”
A police officer was on the scene for another case when the shots rang out around 3:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. GMT) and “neutralized” the suspect, said local police chief Brian Harvey. CCTV footage released by CNN shows the shooter getting out of a sedan in the shopping center parking lot and opening fire, without knowing his motive.
The man was dressed in paramilitary gear and had an assault rifle in his hand, the White House said. His identity has not been released. “Allen is a safe and proud city, which makes this senseless act of violence even more shocking,” Allen Mayor Ken Fulk said. Six people lost their lives on the spot and two others died in hospital. Among them were children, the White House said. Three of the seven injured required emergency surgery, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.
Texas, one of the most permissive states in the United States in terms of carrying firearms
State Governor Greg Abbott lamented an “unspeakable tragedy”. Texas is one of the most permissive US states when it comes to carrying guns. Joe Biden denounced a “senseless act of violence” in a statement on Sunday morning and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast above the White House and federal and military public buildings in tribute to the victims.
The US president also again urged Congress to ban assault rifles and put in place measures to restrict access to weapons. “Too many families have empty chairs around their tables. Republican members of Congress cannot continue to respond to this epidemic with a shrug,” he lambasted. But his appeal is unlikely to succeed because the Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are fiercely opposed to such measures.
A close succession of killings
According to the authorities, the rapid intervention of the police and firefighters made it possible to “save lives”. Steven Spainhouer, a witness at the scene, explained that he tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate several victims, including a woman. “I tried to take her pulse, I turned her head to the side and she had no face,” he told CBS deeply moved. The man says he also rescued a child who survived being protected by the body of his mother, who was killed. “He was covered from head to toe in blood, as if someone had poured it on him.”
“It’s a situation I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s just unimaginable to see such carnage,” he added. Jaynal Pervez, another witness interviewed by CBS, described seeing “shoes, people’s phones on the street”.
This new drama is part of a close succession of killings, notably in Texas, where five people, including a 9-year-old child, were killed the previous weekend by a man armed with an assault rifle. With more firearms than people, the United States has the highest firearm death rate of all developed countries: 49,000 in 2021, compared to 45,000 in 2020. The specialized site Gun Violence Archive has already recorded this year in the United States more than 199 acts where four or more people were wounded or killed by bullet.