9 dead in shooting rampage at Texas mall: authorities

WASHINGTON  — A man who went on a rampage at a Texas outlet mall on Saturday shot dead eight people before he was himself killed, authorities said.

"(We) found seven deceased individuals on scene. We transported nine individuals to the hospital... Of those we transported, two have since died," said fire chief Jonathan Boyd of Allen, Texas.

The shooting sparked panic at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling shopping complex in Allen, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Dallas, filled with weekend shoppers.

A police officer was in the mall on an unrelated call when gunfire broke out around 3:30 pm (2030 GMT), said chief Brian Harvey of the Allen police department.

"He heard gunshots, went to the gunshots, engaged the suspect and neutralized the suspect," Harvey said. "He also then called for ambulances."

The identity of the shooter was not released. His body, sprawled on a sidewalk, was one of the seven deaths at the mall when more police arrived.

Among the wounded at area hospitals, "three are in critical surgery, and four are stable," Boyd, the fire chief, said.

Some of the victims were as young as five years old, a hospital official told NBC News.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the mass shooting an "unspeakable tragedy."

President Joe Biden "has been briefed on the shooting," a White House official told reporters.

Local officials hailed the actions of the police officer who charged and killed the shooter.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to first responders that ran toward the gunfire and acted swiftly to neutralize the threat," said Keith Self, a Republican congressman whose district includes the city of Allen.

Video footage aired by CNN showed the shooter getting out of a sedan in the parking lot of the mall, and beginning his rampage.

Authorities believed initially that a second shooter might be on the loose. As police combed through stores in the mall, frantic shoppers and store employees rushed into parking lots.

Harvey later said police believe the unidentified shooter, who CNN said was wearing tactical gear, "acted alone."

Janet St. James, a spokesperson for Medical City Healthcare, which operates multiple trauma facilities in North Texas, said it received eight patients from the shooting, ranging in age from five to 61, NBC News reported.

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 may have been 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."

Pervez later told broadcaster CBS that scenes in the mall parking lot were chaotic.

"I saw the shoes around there, people's cell phones on the street," he said.

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.

Agence France-Presse

Shot grandmother, acted alone: police profile Texas gunman

UVALDE, United States — Before he opened fire in a Texas elementary school -- killing 19 small children -- teenager Salvador Ramos first shot his grandmother, officials said.

The 18-year-old, who died when police tried to arrest him, was a US citizen and a student in Uvalde, a small community near the Mexican border where the tragedy took place.

A mugshot of Ramos that circulated in local media showed a young man with brown hair, looking in front of him with an expressionless gaze.

"The first incident was at their grandmother's residence where he shot the grandmother," said Erick Estrada of the Texas Department of Public Safety, adding she was later airlifted to a medical facility.

A 66-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in San Antonio in critical condition following the shooting, according to health-care officials, who did not provide any further details.

After firing at his grandmother, Ramos fled the scene in a car wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a rifle, Estrada said.

He then crashed near a ditch outside Robb Elementary School, got out, and headed for the school, where law enforcement officers tried, but failed, to stop him.

At around 11:30 a.m. local time (1630 GMT) Ramos burst into the school and opened fire.

"And then from there, that's when he went on and entered several classrooms and started shooting his firearm," Estrada said on CNN. 

END OF SCHOOL YEAR

Thursday was meant to be the last day of the school year for the 500 students at Robb Elementary, who are aged 5 to 11 and mostly Hispanic.

Estrada said no car chases had been reported in the area, suggesting that the traffic accident was unprovoked.

Two police officers suffered minor injuries in the shootout, Abbott said. 

Investigators were working to obtain "detailed background information on the subject, his motive, the types of weapons used, the legal authority to possess them, and conduct a comprehensive crime-scene investigation and reconstruction," Abbot said.

It is unclear whether Ramos had previous run-ins with law enforcement, according to Estrada.

Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde School District Police Chief in charge of the investigation, said Ramos acted alone.

An Instagram account associated with the suspect, which has since been taken down, showed several photos of the young man.

In two black and white selfies he is wearing what looks like a hoodie, with his hair down to his shoulders.

Other photos showed a magazine and semi-automatic rifles.

Agence France-Presse

8 killed by employee in California rail yard mass shooting

SAN JOSE, Calif.  - A public transit worker shot dead eight people at a California rail yard Wednesday before turning his gun on himself as police arrived, officials said, in the latest mass shooting to hit the United States.

Multiple victims were also wounded in the attack at the train maintenance compound in San Jose, just south of San Francisco, which has once again shone a spotlight on the country's raging gun control debate.

"What the hell is wrong with us, and when are we going to come to grips with this?" said California Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference, where he praised the swift response of law enforcement. 

Law enforcement officers had rushed to investigate multiple early morning 911 calls reporting gunshots, and entered the compound during an "active shooting," said Russell Davis, a Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy.

They did not exchange gunfire with the shooter, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"I know for sure that when the suspect knew that law enforcement was there he took his own life," said Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith. "Our deputies were right there at that time."

Bomb squads were deployed after dogs detected "some type of explosives material at the crime scene," and were continuing to scour the site Wednesday afternoon, Davis said.

US President Joe Biden called the incident a "horrific tragedy" and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff, saying in a statement: "There are at least eight families who will never be whole again."

"Once again, I urge Congress to take immediate action and heed the call of the American people, including the vast majority of gun owners, to help end this epidemic of gun violence in America.

"Every life that is taken by a bullet pierces the soul of our nation. We can, and we must, do more."

'HORRIFIC'

The suspect -- identified by multiple media outlets as Samuel Cassidy -- was an employee of the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides rail and bus services for San Jose, a Silicon Valley tech hub of almost a million people.

Victims including VTA employees were found shot in two different buildings on the site. The authority's chairman Glenn Hendricks called the shooting a "horrible tragedy."

Dozens of police cars and fire engines lining the streets near the rail yard were joined at the scene by FBI officials. Special agent Craig Fair warned the "fairly sizable crime scene" would take a significant amount of time to process.

Nearby, anxious families of employees waited at a county building for word about the safety their relatives.

"This is a very dark moment for our city and for our community," said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.

Many of those killed or wounded were essential workers who had "helped us get through this horrific pandemic" by keeping public transport operating, he added.

San Jose police were also investigating a house fire believed to be linked to the shooting. According to multiple US media reports, the blaze began at the suspect's home shortly before the attack.

Local officials said the shooting -- which was initially reported before 7:00 am local time (1400 GMT) -- had taken place at an employee meeting, with at least 80 staff on site at the time.

GUN 'EPIDEMIC'

The United States has a long and painful history of deadly gun violence, in the form of a steady daily toll of shootings as well as high-profile mass killings that have targeted schools, work places and shopping centers.

Homicides, mostly gun-driven, have surged in the US over the past year. 

Mass shootings have occurred in recent months at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, an office building in California, a grocery store in Colorado and at several spas in Atlanta.

In August 2019, another mass shooting in the Bay Area left two children and a 25-year-old man dead at a garlic festival in Gilroy, around 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of San Jose.

Biden last month branded US gun violence an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment."

There were more than 43,000 gun-related deaths in the United States last year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Agence France-Presse

Four dead, 2 wounded, including suspect, in shooting near Los Angeles

ORANGE, California - Four people were killed, one of them a child, in a shooting on Wednesday at an office building in suburban Los Angeles before the suspect, wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police, was taken into custody, police reported.

The bloodshed in the city of Orange, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, marked the third deadly mass shooting in the United States in less than a month. Authorities offered no explanation as to a possible motive.

Orange Police Department Lieutenant Jennifer Amat told reporters that police officers arrived on the scene at about 5:30 p.m. local time as shots were being fired and "engaged with the suspect."

She said three adults and one child were found shot dead, and two other people struck by gunfire, including the shooter, were transported to area hospitals.

Audio of Amat's on-scene briefing with reporters was played for Reuters afterward by the video news service OnScene.TV. The police department said in a message posted to its Facebook page that the situation had since been "stabilized" with no further threat to the public.

The shooting erupted in a two-story office building that opens onto an inner courtyard ringed by several businesses. The larger neighborhood consists of homes, apartments and other commercial properties.

Officials had no further details of the incident immediately available.

The shooting came a little more than two weeks after eight people were shot to death by a gunman who went on a rampage at three Atlanta-area day spas on March 16. Ten people were killed on March 22 when a man opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. The lone suspects in both those shootings were arrested.

Reacting on Twitter to Wednesday's events in Orange, California Governor Gavin Newsom called the latest bloodshed "horrifying and heartbreaking." 

-reuters-

At least one killed, several injured in Seattle mass shooting

LOS ANGELES - At least one person was killed and seven others, including a child, were wounded on Wednesday after gunfire broke out in downtown Seattle near a popular tourist area, police and hospital officials said.

Police said at least one suspect was being sought in connection with the mass shooting that took place near a McDonald's fast food restaurant, just blocks away from the Pike Place Market.

It was the third shooting in the area in less than two days, and the latest incident of gun violence that has affected churches, cinemas and other public places in the United States.

"Officers investigating shooting near 4th and Pine," the Seattle Police Department said in a tweet. "Multiple victims. The suspect has fled, and police are searching for him. Officers and medics are providing first aid to the injured."

Police chief Carmen Best told reporters at the scene that one person, a woman, had been killed and several others were wounded in the shooting that occurred shortly after 5:00 pm (0100 GMT).

Officials at Harborview Medical Center, where all the wounded were transported, said seven people were being treated at the hospital, including a nine-year-old boy.

Police ordered people to stay out of the area and shut down a subway station as they searched for one or more suspects.

Tyler Parsons, an employee at Victrola Coffee Roasters, told The Seattle Times that he was working when he suddenly saw victims falling to the ground as shots rang out.

He said several people ran into his shop to seek cover and he saw two people with gunshot wounds.

"The shooting was just kind of terrifying. Terrifying it's so close," he told the paper.

One body covered with a white tarp could be seen in TV images lying on the sidewalk in front of the McDonald's two hours after the shooting.

It was unclear if any of the victims were tourists.

Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center, said a 55-year-old woman shot in the abdomen was rushed into surgery and the boy, who was shot in the leg, was in serious condition. The other victims -- five males -- are in satisfactory condition, she said.

Gregg added that the nature of the injuries varied from grazing wounds to life-threatening injuries.

One witness interviewed by local media said he had seen two men arguing loudly before they started shooting at one another, hitting bystanders.

Around 40,000 people died from various firearms-related incidents, including suicides and homicides, in 2017 in the US, according to government figures.

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Texas shooting toll rises to seven

WASHINGTON - The death toll in a chaotic mass shooting in Texas has risen to seven, the local police chief confirmed Sunday, adding that it might have been far worse had the shooter not been stopped before entering a crowded movie theater.

On Sunday, police identified the shooter as a local man named Seth Aaron Ator, age 36. 

Police had said Saturday that five people died in the frantic shootout spread out over several miles on roads between the cities of Midland and Odessa in the west of the state. 

They said Sunday that two more people had died. The dead ranged in age from 15 to 57, and the 22 injured included three police officers and a 17-month-old girl who was shot in the mouth but was recovering. 

At the end of the shooting spree, the assailant -- whose identity police said they were not ready to release -- died in a shootout with police outside an Odessa movie theater.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke told reporters Sunday that he could not be absolutely certain of the suspect's intent, but then added, "He showed up at a movie theater, which would tend to show his motives."

Gerke said that on a Saturday afternoon in Odessa, the theater would have been one of the most crowded venues.

At the time, the chief refused to publicly name the shooter so as not to give him notoriety. He said there was "some criminal record attached to his driver's license," but no active warrants. 

On Sunday afternoon Odessa police, on their Facebook page, named the shooter as Ator and said he was from Odessa.

Gerke said the shooter used an "AR-type" weapon -- an assault-style arm such as has been used in several other mass shootings.

Reports said Ator is a white man in his mid-30s. Police gave no details, only his name and age.

Firing at random 

FBI special agent Christopher Combs said at the briefing that authorities did not believe there was any connection to domestic or international terrorism.

The incident began when troopers tried to pull over a gold-colored passenger vehicle on the Interstate 20 highway. Gerke said the driver had failed to signal a left turn.

Before the vehicle stopped, "the male driver (and only occupant in the vehicle) pointed a rifle toward the rear window of his car and fired several shots toward the DPS patrol unit," the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

One trooper was wounded, and the suspect fled, leading police on a wild chase during which he hijacked a US postal truck and opened fire at random.

Coming less than a month after a gunman killed 22 people in the Texas city of El Paso -- less than 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Odessa -- the latest bloodshed has ignited fresh calls for steps to stem the US scourge of mass shootings.

'Tired of the dying'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke repeatedly at the briefing about what he said were urgent legislative efforts to reduce gun violence. 

"I have been to too many of these events," he said, listing four mass shootings in the state. "I'm tired of the dying... too many Texans are mourning."

US President Donald Trump, in a tweet Sunday, congratulated law enforcement and first responders for their response to "the terrible shooting tragedy yesterday."

But later, speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, he said that while discussions on curbing gun violence were underway with lawmakers, "This really hasn't changed anything."

While he himself spoke after the El Paso shooting of requiring "strong background checks" to prevent unstable people from purchasing guns, Trump said Sunday that recent history showed that "as strong as you make your background checks, they would not have stopped any of it."

But former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, bluntly disagreed, telling CNN that "if we're not able to act decisively, then we will continue to have this bloodshed."

Combs, the FBI agent, noted that this was not the first mass shooting his team had responded to.

Once the Odessa investigation concludes, he said, "We'll get ready (for) the next active shooter, which is an unfortunate statement to make -- but it seems like that's what we do.

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At least 5 dead, 21 wounded in Texas shooting: police

WASHINGTON  - At least five people have been killed in a mass shooting that left 21 victims in the US state of Texas on Saturday, police said.

"We have at least 21 victims, 21 shooting victims and at least five deceased at this point in time," Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke told reporters.

Three police officers were injured in the incident which began with a traffic stop, he said.

The suspect was shot dead in an exchange of fire with officers.

The shooting comes less than a month after a gunman killed 22 people in the Texas city of El Paso, close to 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Odessa.

Police in Odessa had earlier reported that "a subject (possibly 2) is currently driving around Odessa shooting at random people."

They added that "the suspect just hijacked a US mail carrier truck" and urged people to stay off the road and use extreme caution.

Some of the shots were fired on the Interstate 20 highway linking Odessa and Midland, where cars were left with bullet holes.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he had been briefed by Attorney General Bill Barr.

"FBI and Law Enforcement is fully engaged," Trump said.

The latest incident came after the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, where many victims were Hispanic.

In that case, officers arrested Patrick Crusius, 21, a white Texan, who told police that he was targeting "Mexicans," according to an arrest warrant published by US media.

The tragedy in El Paso was committed on the basis of "racist" anti-Mexican rhetoric in a country that "has always been a land of opportunity for every newcomer," Jesus Seade, Mexico's foreign ministry undersecretary for North America, said during a memorial after that shooting. 

Critics of Trump have accused him of stoking such hatred.

The shooting in El Paso came hours before a gunman in Dayton, Ohio killed nine people, reigniting calls for gun control in the United States where firearms were linked to nearly 40,000 deaths in 2017.

"We need to end this epidemic," former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke reacted on Twitter.

O'Rourke, a Democratic presidential hopeful, also expressed sympathy with "everyone in West Texas who has to endure this again."

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California Highway Patrol officer, suspect killed in shootout

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer was killed along with the suspect and two other officers were wounded during a shootout in southern California on Monday evening, police and news media reported.

A CHP dispatcher confirmed the shootout happened at about 5:30 p.m. (0030 GMT) in Riverside, California, about 86 kilometers east of Los Angeles just off US Interstate 215.

"One of our officers succumbed to the injuries sustained," a CHP representative said on Twitter late Monday.

The conditions of the two wounded officers were not disclosed. Police did not immediately release other details. 

Initial reports from local news media at the scene said that a CHP officer on a motorcycle made a routine traffic stop, and the suspect grabbed a rifle from the vehicle and started shooting.

The officer returned fire and called for backup from the CHP, Riverside Police and Riverside Sheriff's Office, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

It was not clear if the officer making the stop was the officer killed.

Dozens of rounds were fired, according to local media, and motorists stopped in traffic fled their vehicles and ran for cover from the gun battle.

Local broadcast media showed images of CHP patrol cars and other vehicles with shot-out windows.

Several motorists were hit with flying glass shards from bullets hitting their car windows, officials said, and were treated by paramedics at the scene.

The gunman sustained gunshots and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, the newspaper reported.

Riverside Police officer Ryan Railsback told the newspaper that the motive behind the shooting was not yet known.

That will be part of a "very long" and "complex" investigation, Railsback said.

The name of the suspect was not immediately released.

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Obama: Reject language from leaders that 'normalizes racist sentiments'

WASHINGTON -- Former President Barack Obama responded to the weekend mass shootings in Ohio and Texas on Monday with a plea to Americans to reject the language of hatred, fear and intolerance from any of their leaders.

"We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments," Obama said in a statement posted on Twitter that did not refer to President Donald Trump by name.

The shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, killed 31 people.

A 21-year-old white man has been charged with capital murder in Saturday's shooting spree in Texas. Police in El Paso cited a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto posted online shortly before the shooting, which they attributed to the suspect.

Democrats said Trump was indirectly to blame for the attack in Texas, with some drawing connections between his rhetoric to a resurgence in nationalism and xenophobic sentiment.

Trump on Monday proposed tighter monitoring of the internet, mental health reform and wider use of the death penalty in response to mass shootings.

Trump did not address accusations that his own anti-immigrant and racially charged comments have contributed to a rise in race tensions, nor did he call for broad gun control measures.

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El Paso mourns shooting victims

Flowers and mementos are seen at a makeshift memorial outside Walmart, near the scene of a mass shooting which left at least 20 people dead, on Sunday in El Paso, Texas. A 21-year-old male suspect was taken into custody in the city which sits along the U.S.-Mexico border. At least 26 people were wounded.

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Walmart to keep selling guns despite recent shootings at its stores

NEW YORK - Despite 2 deadly shootings at its stores in less than a week, American retail giant Walmart has no plans to stop selling guns and ammunition, a spokesman said Sunday.

A man opened fire with an assault rifle at a Walmart in Texas on Saturday, killing 20 people, just 4 days after a disgruntled employee shot dead 2 coworkers and wounded a responding police officer at one of the massive chain's stores in Mississippi.

"We are focused on supporting our associates, our customers and the entire El Paso community," spokesman Randy Hargrove said.

Following the El Paso shooting, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon posted a note on Instagram saying he "can't believe" it was the second such in a week.

"My heart aches for the community in El Paso, especially the associates and customers at store 2201 and the families of the victims," he wrote.

"I'm praying for them and I hope you will join me."

Walmart founder Sam Walton loved guns -- so much so that the American gun manufacturer Remington named a hunting rifle model after him. But the retail giant maintains that its target audience is sport shooters and hunters.

Walmart has made gun policy changes over the years, such as in 1993, when it stopped selling handguns.

The company stopped selling semi-automatic rifles in 2015, and after the Parkland, Florida shooting in February 2018 -- which saw 17 people killed at a high school -- Walmart raised the minimum age to buy guns and ammunition in its stores to 21.

Additionally, "Walmart goes beyond federal law requiring all customers to pass a background check before purchasing any firearm," said Hargrove.

He also noted that all new Walmart employees are required to complete an active shooter training program, which they then must pass on a computer 4 times a year.

But since it is the largest retail chain in the United States, Walmart continues to attract criticism for its enduring stock of firearms.

When the company tweeted it was "in shock" after the tragedy in El Paso, many Twitter users replied: "Stop selling guns."

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Ten killed, including suspected assailant, in Ohio shooting

Nine people were killed in a mass shooting early Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, police said, adding that the assailant was shot dead by responding officers.

The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 am in the popular bar and nightlife Oregon district of the city, Police Lieutenant Colonel Matt Carper said.

"We had one shooter that we are aware of and multiple victims," he told reporters.

"The shooter is deceased, from gunshot wounds from the responding officers," he said, adding no police were injured.

"We have nine victims deceased ... and we have approximately 16 more victims hospitalized right now in unknown conditions."

The suspect had opened fire on the street firing "a long gun with multiple rounds."

Police were working to identify the shooter and the FBI were on scene to provide any necessary assistance, he said.

The shooting came just hours after 20 people were killed by a gunman in El Paso, Texas.

Carper said Oregon was "a very safe part of downtown" Dayton and very popular with visitors.

"Fortunately we had multiple officers in the immediate vicinity when this incident started so there was a very short timeline of violence, for that we've very fortunate.

"It's a very tragic incident and we're doing everything we can to investigate it and try to identify the motivation behind this," said Carper.

"We're still interviewing obviously a lot of witnesses as well as officers to determine if anyone else was involved," he said.

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Multiple fatalities reported from shooting in Dayton, Ohio

At least 10 people were killed and an unknown number of others were wounded in a shooting incident in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday, local television and newspapers said.

Dayton police said they were on the scene of an "active shooter incident" but gave no further details.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Jane Merriman and Angus MacSwan)

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Gunman kills 20 at Texas Walmart store in latest US mass shooting

EL PASO, Texas --A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in the latest mass shooting in the United States.

As residents of the southern border town of El Paso in Texas tried to absorb the full horror of what is being treated as a potential "hate crime," fresh calls rang out to end the nationwide "epidemic" of gun violence.

It was the second fatal shooting in less than a week at a Walmart store in the US and comes after a mass shooting in California last weekend. 

One suspect was taken into custody while authorities were studying an extremist manifesto purportedly written by the gunman.

Footage shot on camera phones appeared to show multiple bodies lying on the ground in the store's parking lot while El Paso authorities made a desperate appeal for blood donations. 

Other footage showed terrified shoppers running out of the store as gunfire echoed.

Two to 82 years

"Twenty innocent people from El Paso have lost their lives," Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference.

"We as a state unite in support of these victims and their family members... We pray that God can be with those who have been harmed in any way and bind up their wounds."

Police chief Greg Allen confirmed that in addition to the 20 confirmed fatalities, there were 26 wounded.

Various news reports said the ages of victims being treated at hospitals ranged from two to 82 years.

Police said that Walmart was "at capacity" at the time of the shooting, with 1,000 to 3,000 customers inside.

After officials initially said three people had been detained, police confirmed that a 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, was the only person in custody.

"Right now we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some degree, it has a nexus to potential hate crime," Allen said.

US media named the suspect as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, who is white.

The "manifesto" purportedly written by Crusius that was circulated online includes passages railing against the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas and the author makes clear that he expected to be killed during his attack.

Witnesses said the gunman appeared to be shooting at random when he opened fire around 10:30 a.m.

One woman, who gave her name as Vanessa, said she had just pulled into the Walmart parking lot when the shooting began.

"You could hear the pops, one right after another and at that point as I was turning, I saw a lady, seemed she was coming out of Walmart, headed to her car. She had her groceries in her cart and I saw her just fall," she told Fox News.

The witness said the gunman wore black t-shirt, combat trousers and was wearing ear muffs.

"He was just shooting randomly. It wasn't to any particular person. It was any that would cross paths."

Another shopper described how he managed to avoid being hit by hiding along with his mother between two vending machines just outside the store.

"That's where the individual tried to shoot at me, which he missed cause I kind of ducked down," Robert Curado told the El Paso Times.

'How you doing, brother' 

Video captured by a witness in the parking lot in the immediate aftermath of the shooting showed three people lying motionless on the ground.

One had fallen next to a truck, while two were on the sidewalk outside the store entrance. " Ambulance! Help!" people cried as they rushed to the victims.

"How you doing, brother, how you doing," one man was heard saying on the recording.

A still captured from CCTV showed the gunman carrying what appeared to be an AK-47.

President Donald Trump, who is spending the weekend at his golf club in New Jersey, condemned the "terrible" shooting after being briefed by Attorney General Bill Barr and Abbott.

It has been a particularly bad week for gun violence in the United States.

Two people died and a police officer was wounded Tuesday at a Walmart in Mississippi.

Last Sunday a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a food festival in northern California, killing three, including two children.

Beto O'Rourke, a former US congressman for El Paso who is now running for president, cut off his campaigning in the wake of the shooting.

"I'm incredibly saddened and it's very hard to think about this. But I tell you El Paso is the strongest place in the world, this community is going to come together," he told supporters.

Elizabeth Warren, a senator who is among the frontrunners for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, said "far too many communities have suffered through tragedies like this already.

"We must act now to end our country's gun violence epidemic," she said.

Another presidential hopeful Cory Booker said the US had "to end this national nightmare" and "find the moral courage to take action to end this carnage."

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Shooting at Virginia Beach municipal center leaves 12 dead, including suspect

A disgruntled city employee opened fire at the municipal center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Friday afternoon, killing 11 people and wounding at least six others before he was killed himself, the city's police chief said.

Chief James Cervera said the precise circumstances of the shooting in the coastal resort city remained under investigation. He gave few details of what was known, but said a police officer was among those who were struck by gunfire but survived.

Cervera said the suspect was a longtime current municipal employee, and described him as "disgruntled." It was not made immediately clear whether the gunman took his own life or was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police.

The shooting unfolded, according to Cervera, shortly after 4 p.m. at Building Two of the municipal center complex, a facility which houses the city's public works and utilities next door to City Hall.

Virginia Beach, which sits on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, is the state's most populous city with roughly 450,000 year-round residents.

"This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a news conference with the police chief. "The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbors, colleagues."

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1 killed in Colorado shooting

Parents gather in a circle to pray at a recreation center where students were reunited with their parents after a shooting at a suburban Denver middle school Tuesday, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, USA. At least one person was reported killed and 8 others injured, according to local reports.

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Uber driver pleads guilty to killing 6 in US shooting spree

CHICAGO - An Uber driver who went on a shooting spree that killed 6 people in the Midwestern US state of Michigan pleaded guilty to all charges Monday.

In a surprise turn as the trial was scheduled to begin, Jason Dalton pleaded guilty to embarking on a deadly February 2016 shooting spree in the small city of Kalamazoo, in between driving for customers of the ride-sharing service Uber.

Dalton was charged with 6 counts of murder, 2 counts of attempted murder and 8 firearms charges. He faces a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Prosecutors said no deal was offered for the guilty plea.

When asked by the presiding judge whether he was pleading guilty "voluntarily of your own free will," Dalton replied: "Yes. I've wanted this for quite a while."

Dalton reportedly had told police that he was made a "puppet" by the Uber application, which directed him to shoot people at random over the course of several hours.

His victims were a 25-year-old mother wounded while shielding a group of children from bullets, a father and son fatally shot at a car dealership and four senior citizens killed in a restaurant parking lot where a teen was also wounded.

NBC television affiliate WOOD reported that Dalton chose to plead guilty to spare his family and victims' families the ordeal of a trial.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hundreds line up to donate blood after California bar shooting

THOUSAND OAKS, California - The fatal shooting of a dozen people at a Western-themed bar in Thousand Oaks, California, inspired hundreds of area residents to line up for hours on Thursday to donate blood for the wounded.

The blood drive drew at least 300 people to a trailer parked outside a Catholic high school. The line snaked down the driveway and along the street.

The blood drive has been scheduled before the massacre late on Wednesday at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, which had a reputation as one of the country's safest cities.

The big turnout followed a call for donations after the shooting. On a normal day, fewer than 60 people might be expected to turn out, school officials said.

“It just shows great community spirit, it shows people helping people, it doesn’t matter the color of their skin, where they’re from, it doesn’t matter,” said Steven Peisner, 56.

Law enforcement officials said 10 to 15 people went to hospitals with injuries, including at least one with gunshot wounds. The suspected shooter was found inside the bar with a fatal gunshot wound.

Peisner, a regular blood donor from nearby Calabasas, wore a leather vest festooned with metal pins commemorating the dozens of gallons of blood platelets he has donated over the years.

A number of young people in line said they had some connection to the victims or survivors of the shooting.

Delaney Kenney, 17, who was in line, said her brother was a friend of a woman who died in the shooting.

“He’s pretty devastated,” said Kenney, who attends a local high school.

Aaron Lacombe, 23, of Thousand Oaks, said he thought he might have known one of the victims from his days at California Lutheran University. He also has been to the bar, which he described as an “upbeat” place.

“I grew up in this community, went to school in this community, so I kind of felt the obligation to get out here and do what I could,” Lacombe said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Relatives mourn death of Fil-Am teen killed in Southern California shooting

THOUSAND OAKS, California - Shock and sadness loomed over the Housley family as their kin, Alaina, was identified among the 12 victims in the Borderline Bar and Grill massacre earlier this week.

The 18-year-old Filipino American recently moved to the area to study in Pepperdine University, the same school where her parents met.

"Words can’t describe our grief over losing our daughter, Alaina," Alaina's father, Arick Housley, said in a statement.

"She was everything we could hope for in a child: kind, smart, beautiful and respectful," he said.

Housley also described his daughter as "a mock trial lover" who enjoyed public debates.

"She would have enjoyed the public debate that is certain to happen after this tragedy, but she would have insisted that it be respectful with an eye toward solving these senseless shootings," Housley said.

"It’s time for leadership in our country to step up," he said.

The family found out about the teen's death in the middle of the night, after a day of searching and hoping, Alaina's maternal grandfather, Ernesto Punzalan, told ABS-CBN News.

"We were hoping she just went somewhere because of the incident but unfortunately it turns out she was one of the victims," Punzalan said.

"Her dad and her mom were there for 4 years and we never had any case like this. This is really a shocking incident," he said.

Punzalan said he last saw his granddaughter in April at her high school graduation and was supposed to meet her during her recital before Christmas.

"It's very unfortunate. She played piano and violin," he said.

"She’s a nice girl, she’s academically extraordinary, she’s involved in all school activities, and athletics also academic and class activities extra curricular activities," he said.

"She has been a very good girl and I hope she will rest in peace," he said.

Pepperdine University held a prayer service for Alaina, Thursday afternoon.

The 18-year old and 11 others were killed by a lone gunman who stormed a crowded bar, Wednesday evening.

Authorities are still looking into the motive of the mass shooting incident.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gunman kills 12 in California bar packed with students

THOUSAND OAKS, United States - A gunman killed 12 people, including a police officer, when he opened fire in a country music bar packed with college students in California, officials and witnesses said Thursday.

Police said the gunman was found dead inside the bar on the outskirts of Los Angeles although it was not immediately clear if he was killed by officers or shot himself.

Speaking at press conference in the wee hours of Thursday, a sheriff said that around a dozen other people had been injured. He said the motive of the shooting and the identity of the shooter were not known.

It was the second mass shooting in America in less than two weeks.

Witnesses said that the gunman, who was wearing a black trenchcoat, throw several smoke grenades inside the Borderline Bar and Grill before he started he shooting at around 11:20pm on Wednesday night.

"It's a horrific scene in there. There is blood everywhere," Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters.

"We have no idea if there is a terrorism link to this or not. As you know, these are ongoing investigations and that information will come out as soon as we are able to determine exactly who the suspect was and what motive he might have had for this horrific event."

"Nothing has led me to believe or the FBI there is a terrorism link here. We certainly will look at that option."

Dean said that the dead police officer, who was named as Ron Helus and had been on the force for 29 years, was among the first on the scene.

"They found 11 victims that had been killed," said Dean of the first response unit before detailing that the death of Helus brought the toll to 12, not including the gunman.

The venue in the quiet, upscale Thousand Oaks suburb had been hosting an event for college students, with possibly several hundred young people in attendance, Captain Garo Kuredjian of the Ventura County Sheriff's office said earlier.

Matt Wennerstron, a 20 year old college student and regular at the bar, said the shooter fired a short-barreled pistol that apparently had a 10-15 round magazine.

"It was just semi-automatic, as many shots as he could pull, and then when it started to reload that's when we got people out of there and I didn't look back."

He said he and others smashed their way out of the bar onto a balcony and then jumped down to safety. "One bar stool and straight through a window," he told reporters.

TV footage showed SWAT teams surrounding the bar, with distraught revelers milling around and using their cell phones as lights from police cars flashed.

Holden Harrah, a young man who saw the incident, cried as he told CNN that a place where he goes every week to have fun with friends had been a scene of carnage.

"A gentleman walked in the front door and shot the girl that was behind the counter. I don't know if she is alive," he said.

- 'He shot a lot' -

The Los Angeles Times quoted a law enforcement official as saying at least 30 shots had been fired.

An unnamed witness told the newspaper that someone ran into the bar around 11:30 pm and started shooting what looked to be a black pistol.

"He shot a lot, at least 30 times. I could still hear gunshots after everyone left," the Times quoted the man as saying.

It was the latest chapter in America's epidemic of gun violence.

Only 10 days ago a gunman killed 11 worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

That shooting was politically sensitive: the suspect, Robert Bowers, who said he wanted to kill Jews, argued that a Jewish advocacy group had been aiding a Central American migrant caravan denounced repeatedly by President Donald Trump in the run-up to Tuesday's midterm election.

Last year a country music festival called Route 91 in Las Vegas was the scene of the worst mass shooting in modern US history. A gunman shooting from the 32 floor of a hotel and casino with high power weapons killed 58 people.

Carl Edgar, a 24 year old regular at the Thousand Oaks club, said he was in the bar with about 20 friends and had not been able to reach some of them since the shooting. They may have turned their phones off, he said.

"A lot of my friends survived Route 91," he told the Times. "If they survived that, they will survive this.”

source: news.abs-cbn.com