A crazed driver pummeled a pickup truck through a crowded Texas mall, sending five innocent shoppers to the hospital, before being shot-and-killed by police.
The driver, whose identity is not yet known, was first spotted around 5 pm on Saturday evening driving ‘erratically’ in Belton, about 20 miles away from the mall, after police received a call reporting suspicious behavior from a black pickup truck.
Killeen Police then chased the reckless driver along Interstate 14 before the suspect veered off the road and into the Killeen Mall’s parking lot.
The suspect then crashed into the JCPenney store and continued driving, Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Law enforcement acted quickly, following the heedless driver on foot before trading gunfire with the suspect.
‘The trooper and Killeen police officer continued on foot after the vehicle which was driving through the store running people over,’ Washko added. ‘He traveled several hundred yards.’
Several officers then traded gunfire with the frenzied suspect before landing the fatal blow.
‘Officers from DPS, the Killeen police department and three other agencies that engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat,’ a spokesperson for the Killeen Police Department said.
‘The area is secure at this time,’ they added. ‘We ask that you avoid the area as first responders conduct their investigation.’
Two of the officers were reportedly from other agencies were described as local officers who were off-duty and shopping with their families at the mall.
Another was a mall security officer, according to police.
Four of the injured people were taken from the mall to hospitals, and the fifth went on their own, Washko said in a Saturday media briefing.
The victims ranged in age from 6 to 75 years old, and their conditions were not immediately known.
‘There is no active shooter at the Killeen Mall. DPS, KFD and KPD are currently on scene investigating this incident. The area is secure and we urge citizens to stay away from the Killeen Mall at this time,’ the Facebook post reads.
The Killeen Police Department said an investigation is ongoing and did not provide any further details on the suspect.