Police in Texas said they were responding to reports of an active shooter at an outlet mall in the Dallas area on Saturday, with local media reporting multiple shooting victims including children.
One suspect was reportedly shot dead, but police were searching for a second shooter in the incident at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling shopping complex in the city of Allen, CNN reported.
There was no official confirmation of any victims or death toll.
Reports of the shooting first began shortly after 3.30 pm (2030 GMT), local media reported.
“Law enforcement is on the scene at Allen Premium Outlets. An active investigation is underway. Please avoid the area until further update,” the Allen Police Department tweeted.
At least one suspect was confirmed dead, and there were multiple victims including children, local ABC news affiliate WFAA cited the Collins County sheriff as saying.
CNN cited a local law enforcement source as saying that police were searching for a second shooter, and that the first shooter had been wearing tactical gear.
A father who arrived at the mall after his daughter, who was inside, phoned to tell him about the shooting, also told CNN that police had informed him there was a second shooter.
“We saw the police outside the door, and they told us we had to go, and that they are still looking for the person,” Jaynal Pervez said, according to CNN.
“There’s no more safe places. I don’t know what to do.”
With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country — 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 the year before.
There have been more than 195 mass shootings — defined as four or more people wounded or killed — so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.