On Wednesday night, a shooting at a mall in El Paso, Texas resulted in one person being killed and three others being injured, prompting patrons to flee or seek shelter.
This incident has brought back painful memories for the community, as three years ago there was a shooting massacre at a store just down the road.
According to Interim El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas, two males have been taken into custody, but the motives of this shooting have yet to be commented on.
Surveillance video from inside the mall showed multiple people running away from the sound of gunshots and paramedics wheeling in a stretcher.
All four people who were shot were male, two of which were taken to the University Medical Center in critical condition.
The mall is situated beside a Walmart, where a shooting back in 2019 left 23 people dead and nearly two dozen injured. Last week, as part of a plea deal, the 24-year-old gunman pled guilty to 90 federal charges.
This event is an unfortunate example of how public spaces, such as shopping centers and grocery stores, are no longer safe. The Gun Violence Archive has tallied more than 70 mass shootings across the US this year alone.
An off-duty police officer that was working security in one of the mall’s stores took one person into custody within three minutes; the whereabouts of the other person in custody are still unknown.
Marie Hall, who was working at a salad shop in the food court at the time of the shooting, described the situation as chaotic and people being scared.
Robert Gonzalez, who was present at the mall for both the 2019 shooting and Wednesday’s event, reported seeing people running to the exit and security gates being down.
Albert Hernandez, whose sister and brother-in-law were killed in the 2019 Walmart shooting, expressed his exasperation at the political leaders who are not addressing the issue of gun violence. He said that the Wednesday shooting has brought back painful memories and that the community is left to wonder how many more people will be hurt.
The FBI is currently assisting with an investigation into the shooting and has set up a website for people to submit photos and videos of the incident.