Hello everyone and thanks for
watching tonight. I'm Teresa Woodard.
We are beginning this newscast with
breaking news. It is happening
in the city of Allen right now.
There has been a shooting at
the Allen Premium Outlets that
is a well known shopping mall.
The mall is on West Stacy Rd.
It's just off Hwy. 75 right now.
Police continue to ask everyone
to avoid that area.
We know the FBI is in route.
The ATF as well.
There has been a massive
police response to this scene.
We want to take a live look from
HD Chopper 8 overseen right now.
Now, the Collin County Sheriff
just told WFAA's Rebecca Lopez
There are multiple victims.
He also told Rebecca that a suspected
shooter is dead there on the scene.
This is a breaking situation.
It began about 90 minutes ago,
around 3:40 or so WFA's Stacia Wilson
arrived on scene just before 5:00 PM.
We're going to go to her live now. Stacia.
We know things are quickly evolving.
They always do in situations like this.
But tell us what you see and
what you know at this moment.
Stacia
Well. Theresa, good evening.
We have seen hundreds of people
being evacuated from this area.
Standing behind me,
you can see they're just watching
as the situation unfolds.
As you mentioned multiple victims
involved in this shooting.
We know some of those victims
are children according to police.
We do not know if any of
those people who were shot,
if any of those injuries were fatal.
We know number of people have
been transported to the hospital.
We've seen more than one.
Emergency unit,
First Responder unit that is big enough.
Basically a bus to carry multiple
people back to the hospital.
As you mentioned before,
we did get here shortly before 5,
but the report first came in
around 3:40 this afternoon.
I've been talking with folks out here.
They've heard dozens of gunshots.
People who were coming out to the street
who were inside were visibly shaken.
I spoke with one woman.
Her husband worked at Fat Burger
and she was so upset because
he was still inside and she
didn't know what was going on.
And she's still waiting for him to come out.
We know the City of Allen City
Hall posted a public safety
alert through the City of Allen,
multiple law enforcement agencies,
including Frisco,
Plano, McKinney.
As well as a TF are here on the scene
and active investigation is underway.
The shopping mall is surrounded by
law enforcement first responders.
Traffic in this area
is a nightmare. I talked to another woman
who was outside H&M in the parking lot,
had not even gotten out of her vehicle.
They asked her to get out and literally
just leave the area, go across the street.
So they have been evacuating people
in droves and it is still going on.
We've been seeing a number of
officers run through this area.
As you can see, you have choppers in the air.
Ambulances from neighboring cities have
also been called in to transport victims.
And again, as the situation unfolds,
we're going to let you know
everything that develops.
But information is preliminary at this time.
We're still learning about this situation.
We just know there are a number of
people out here with us who are visibly
shaken and scared about what happened,
understandably so.
Teresa Station, tell
us what people are telling you about what
they went through hearing the shots.
Did you talk to people who
had to hide inside of stores?
What all are the kind of stories
that they're relaying to you?
Well, I think at first it obviously
caught people by surprise.
They heard the shots and they didn't think
at first it was anything to be afraid of.
They didn't believe it was
actually from a firearm.
And then once they discovered,
no, this is a serious situation,
they were terrified.
But I think that initial shock,
people just kind of paused at first.
They said they didn't know what to do,
and then they crouched
down and hit in the stores.
And literally just, you know,
the second seemed to take so much
longer because they were terrified.
And a number of people,
as you can see, have been evacuated
and are standing out here with me.
But no one's leaving.
Everyone is just waiting to
either go back to their vehicle,
try to leave the area,
but at this point they're just
standing across the street, obviously.
Again, as I mentioned before,
they're visibly shaking a number of them.
But glad to be out here and be safe,
Stacia. I can just imagine this
is everyone's worst nightmare.
I mean, it's a Saturday afternoon.
You know, the mall was a busy place
and you can just imagine the folks who.
Were separated maybe from their child
who was shopping at another side.
I can only imagine the kind of stories
you're hearing from people out there.
Tell us a little bit more about you
mentioned so many emergency personnel there
and large equipment there on the scene.
Have you seen ambulances taking people away?
Have you seen that that big bus
you described leaving the scene?
We've seen that bus circle
around a couple of times.
It was from Frisco.
It was a Frisco emergency responder,
an ambulance, as you mentioned,
the size of a bus.
It drove through here a couple of times.
I have not seen it leave the area,
but it's not the only one.
You obviously have a
number of first responders.
I'm looking at Allen right now.
I'm looking at Fire and Rescue from Plano.
And it's not just one vehicle per agency,
obviously multiple vehicles.
So that just kind of can paint the picture
of what you're dealing with out here.
And really I think it's
just a stressful situation.
As we told you that shooter,
we know that PD has taken
care of the shooter,
not an imminent threat anymore,
but it's scary because people can't leave,
they can't go home.
As you mentioned that there's some people
who are still possibly looking for loved
ones that were at a different store.
So I think right now it's a it's
a wait and see situation as these
families are able to come together,
make sure that you know
everyone is outside and safe.
And I,
you know,
it will be something that develops
as the evening progresses,
but it is still a very active
scene even though the shooter
has been taken care of.
Teresa.
All right, Stacia, we appreciate your
live coverage for us there on the scene.
I just want to recap a
little bit for everyone,
exactly what we understand has happened.
It was around 3:40 this afternoon when we
did get reports of a shooting at Allen
Premium Outlets there in the city of Allen.
We know police responded very quickly.
We immediately know that the
outlet mall went into locked out.
We know people.
Who were hiding inside of
stores and as of right now,
we've heard from the Collin County sheriff.
He's told our Rebecca Lopez
that there are multiple victims.
He has also told Rebecca Lopez
that the suspected shooter is
deceased there on the scene.
You are looking at video from
a little earlier this evening.
They're on the scene of people
streaming out of those stores
where presumably they had taken
shelter when these shots were fired.
You have also seen some video
throughout this newscast of just a.
Massive line of ambulances lined up there,
ready to take potential victims to safety.