Authorities say one person was murdered and three others were injured in a shooting at a mall in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday evening. Two male suspects have been apprehended. The incident was reported around 5:05 p.m. local time at the Cielo Vista Mall, interim El Paso police chief Peter Pacillas stated at a press conference late Wednesday night.
Pacillas reported that within three minutes, off-duty cops manning security at the mall arrived to the scene, and one of these off-duty officers brought a suspect into custody.
“We had off-duty officers working at the local establishment within the mall, and were on scene at 5:08 p.m., within three minutes,” Pacillas said, adding that the off-duty officer detained the man without using a firearm.
Police stated that one victim was pronounced dead at the spot and three others were sent to local hospitals. There were no immediate updates regarding their conditions. According to Pacillas, all four victims were men.
The police chief did not specify how the second suspect was apprehended, nor did he immediately provide the names, ages, or descriptions of the victims or suspects.
Pacillas stated of the situation, “There is no more danger to the public,”
Around an earlier briefing, El Paso police Sgt. Robert Gomez told reporters that the investigation showed the incident occurred “in the approximate area of the food court, but that was not confirmed.”
Multiple authorities, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Border Patrol, and the FBI, reacted to the original incident.
Pacillas stated that the FBI was supporting El Paso police with their investigation. The special agent in charge of the El Paso Field Office of the FBI, Jeffrey Downey, lauded the off-duty officer who detained the first suspect.
“A great deal of credit needs to go out to the off-duty officer that was at the mall this evening, and was able to get one of these individuals in custody in a very quick amount of time,” said Downey.
The attack occurred exactly one week after the 24-year-old gunman in the 2019 mass shooting at a local Walmart, in which 23 people were killed by a man who intentionally targeted Hispanics, pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and firearms charges. This Walmart is located just next the Cielo Vista Mall.
As part of a plea bargain, Patrick Crusius consented to accept 90 consecutive life terms, one for each count in the indictment.
»El Paso mall shooting kills one, injures three; two suspects detained«