Trump: El Paso mall shooting reports 'very bad, many killed'
EL PASO, Texas — Multiple people were killed and one person was in custody after a shooter went on a rampage Saturday at a shopping mall, police in the Texas border town of El Paso said.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, according to Deputy White House Press Secretary Steven Groves.
"The President has been briefed on the shooting in El Paso, and we continue to monitor the situation. The President has spoken with Attorney General Barr and Governor Abbott," Groves said in a statement released in a pool report.
Trump tweeted later Saturday afternoon: "Terrible shootings in ElPaso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement. Spoke to Governor to pledge total support of Federal Government. God be with you all!"
Police responded in the early afternoon to an active shooter scene at the Cielo Vista Mall, which is near Interstate 10 on east side of the city, and were advising people to stay away from the area, according to the Associated Press.
Shortly after, Sgt. Enrique Carrillo, a police spokesman, said a suspect was in custody and there was no longer danger to the public.
A University Medical Center of El Paso official says one of 12 people who were rushed to the hospital after the attack has died.
Ryan Mielke, a hospital spokesman, says all of the victims suffered traumatic injuries in Saturday's attack. He declined to provide additional details about the victims, including the one who died.
Mielke says two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children's Hospital.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
A Walmart official says the company is trying to determine if there was gunfire inside one of its stores.
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove says the company is "in shock" over the news of Saturday's attack.
A Walmart is located near the mall, as well as a Sam's Club warehouse store, which is owned by Walmart Inc. Hargrove says the company is working closely with law enforcement.
Cielo Vista Mall, which is owned by mall operator Simon Property Group Inc., said in a statement that the attack is a police matter and it referred questions to the police department.
In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting a "heinous and senseless act of violence."
Abbott will travel to El Paso this afternoon, according to the statement.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine
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via DMT.NEWS, POLITICO Staff, Khareem Sudlow
