A man was shot and killed by police on Saturday after he drove his pickup truck through a store at Killeen Mall in the US state of Texas, injuring at least five people. The man was fatally shot following a 19-mile police chase, according to the Texas department of public safety.
The incident began around 5 pm central time when a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper attempted to stop the truck for suspected drunk driving, according to Sgt Bryan Washko of the Texas department of public safety. The driver fled, leading police on a 19-mile chase from Belton to Killeen.
The pursuit ended when the driver entered the Killeen Mall parking lot and crashed through the glass doors of the JCPenney store. “The suspect drove through the doors and continued to travel through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people,” Washko said, as quoted by CNN. Officers pursued the truck on foot inside the mall and exchanged gunfire with the driver, ultimately killing him.
Five injured
According to a CNN report, five people were injured during the incident. Four were taken to the hospital, and one person went to the hospital on their own. “There are people in here shopping for their families, their children, their friends, loved ones, and these kinds of things we don’t like to see, obviously, and we pray for their recovery,” Washko said of the victims.
Suspect’s identity not revealed
The suspect’s identity has not been released. “We need to find out who he was, where he’s coming from, why he’s running,” Washko said. “All those questions need to be answered.”
Eyewitness account
Witness Nathan Carrasco saw the truck drive through the store entrance. “There were people lying on the floor with glass everywhere,” Carrasco said, adding that people rushed to help a woman and a bleeding young girl, according to a CNN report. Other witnesses, Rose and Will Parker, were near the store when they heard gunshots and sought shelter. “It was a mess,” Will Parker said. “I’m thankful to the gentleman, the security guy, that helped us out.”
The incident follows a car crash in Germany that occurred one day earlier. A car plowed into a Christmas market crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, killing at least two people, including a child. The city government reported at least 68 injuries, with 15 people in critical condition. The driver, identified as Taleb A., was arrested immediately after the incident.
