Allen police release body cam of officers shooting and killing mass shooter at Premium Outlet mall
By: Body camera footage of the Allen Premium Outlet mall mass shooting was released Wednesday after a grand jury no-billed the officer who shot and killed the shooter.
The Texas Rangers and the Collin County District Attorney’s Office presented the evidence to the grand jury. The grand jury's no-bill means that after reviewing the evidence, they ruled the use of force was justified under Texas law.
Eight people were killed, and several others were injured, when a gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday, May 6.
The body camera footage released Wednesday showed the tragic events from the officer's perspective. The video was edited to blur out the faces of civilians and victims, and some language has been removed, Allen police said.
The video starts with the officer speaking to a and her two kids when more than 10 gunshots are heard off in the distance. The officer calls in the shots fired over the radio, and another round of gunfire is heard. The officer grabs his weapon and tells shoppers to get down.
The officer runs across the outlet mall for approximately two-to-three minutes, and multiple rounds of gunfire are heard throughout this time. The entire incident lasted just over four minutes before police neutralized the shooter.
“This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation,” said Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey. “The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat – and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful.”
The Allen Premium Outlets were closed for nearly a month and reopened on May 31.
Following the tragedy, Medical City Healthcare trauma facilities received eight patients. Hospital officials said one patient was taken directly from the scene to Medical City Plano, and five patients were treated at Medical City McKinney. A pediatric patient was transferred to Medical City Children’s Hospital. The final patient was released from the hospital on June 23.
While many of the Medical City patients have not been publicly identified due to confidentially laws, WFAA spoke to one in early June, Irvin Walker II, who shared his story.
Walker was shot several times while in his car and was among the first people wounded in the mass shooting.
“I didn’t see the shooter,” he told WFAA. “I just felt the shots.”
Walker, now on the road to recovery after his release from the hospital, thanked the staff at Medical City.
"As soon as I entered this hospital, the medical professionals expressed the highest level of love for me," Walker said. "I had the mindset that, 'You know what, when I come here, the energy I'm going to give out, I expect back.' I continue glorifying my Lord, thanking people in advance for using their expertise to repair my body, my spirit, my hope. That mindset, I think, got me through."
The Allen Police Department has requested a comprehensive and independent review of the incident by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The resulting after-action report will offer insight and best practices to support future training and emergency response provided by Allen police.