Shoppers leave as law enforcement members respond to a shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall, in El Paso, Texas, U.S February 15,2023. REUTERS
One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting at an El Paso, Texas, shopping mall on Wednesday, police said.
One suspect was in custody and police were looking for another possible suspect, police spokesman Robert Gomez told reporters. The motive remained unknown.
“It was chaotic. People did flee. They were scared. Like I said, there were shots fired in the mall. It does cause panic,” Gomez said.
Police called it an active scene and asked the public to avoid the area.
News video showed the parking lot filling with patrol cars, their lights flashing.
“Units are clearing the mall. They are gathering witnesses. This is a large scene as it being a mall, so it’s going to take time,” Gomez said, adding he had no information on the condition of the wounded.
The Cielo Vista mall is next to the Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people on Aug. 3, 2019. A week ago, a Texas man pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes in that massacre in a plea deal that spared him a federal death sentence. But he still faces the death penalty in a separate state prosecution.