Allen mall video shows officer breathless, alone as he tracks down, kills shooter
Minutes before a police officer killed the gunman who terrorized Allen Premium Outlets, body-cam footage released Wednesday shows he carried out one of his most basic duties.
Towering over two young children, he tells them to be safe; that when mommy’s driving, wear your seat belts. He gives them matching police badge stickers.
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“Yes, sir,” one of the children says. Seconds later, small talk. Laughter. Then, gunfire.
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About 20 shots erupt in the distance. A woman grabs the kids, and the Allen officer grabs his rifle.
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“145, I think we’ve got shots fired at the outlet mall,” he calls out over his radio.
Body-camera video shows officer track, kill mass shooter at Allen, Texas, mall The Allen Police Department Wednesday released body-camera footage from the officer who ran toward gunfire at Allen Premium Outlets and killed the shooter. (Allen Police Department)
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The 5½-minute video released by Allen police shows the officer, alone and breathless, as he runs toward the rapid shots. As he gets closer, his pace slows, methodically scanning for the gunman who could be anywhere. He stops only when the rampage is over.
The May 6 shooting at the outlet mall killed eight people, wounded at least seven and traumatized hundreds more. The victims killed were Cho Kyu Song, 37; Kang Shin Young, 35; James Cho, 3; Daniela Mendoza, 11; Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26.
The officer has repeatedly declined interview requests through his attorney, and his name has not been released. He was cleared Tuesday of wrongdoing by a Collin County grand jury.
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“This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation,” Allen police Chief Brian Harvey said in a news release. “The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat — and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful.”
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After the officer calls for help over the radio, roughly five more shots echo in the distance. People scream as the officer adds, “We’ve got people running.”
“Get going, get going, get moving!” he yells as he runs toward the shots.
Cars pass in front of him, honking, as they attempt to leave the parking lot. “Go, go, go get moving! … Get out of here!” he screams.
Once he reaches Polo Ralph Lauren, another round of shots rings out. Sirens begin to fill the air.
“They’re still shooting,” the officer says into his radio. “I’m on foot, I need everybody I got.”
Someone yells, “He’s going this way,” to which the officer responds “yes!”
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The officer first classifies the gunfire as a mass shooting as he walks by H&M, where multiple bodies were blurred on the ground outside the store. Allen police edited the footage to blur faces of victims and civilians.
“We’ve got people coming,” the officer says.
A blurred figure appears at the corner of the building, and the officer yells “Drop it!” multiple times and points his gun. The figure moves quickly out of view. It’s unclear whether the figure was a civilian or the gunman.
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“I’m passing the injured,” the officer says, breathing heavily.
At least three more shots ring out as the officer says, “I’m moving as fast as I can trying to get over there.”
He passes another blurred figure lying on the ground as gunshots sound in the distance. The officer then stops in front of Watch Station.
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“I don’t know where he’s at.”
Three more shots ring out. He hurriedly adds, “actually he’s still going.”
A rapid volley of gunfire echoes.
The officer moves forward, panting, then runs as gunfire continues.
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He stops. The officer aims his gun and then fires more than 10 shots.
“Shots fired by police, I got him down!” he yells.
He fires two more shots and screams, “Drop the gun!”
The sirens grow louder. The officer repeats that the gunman is down and moves slowly toward him.
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“Get away from there! Get away from there! Get away!” he screams.
He calls out over his radio, “I’m by Sunglass Hut, I’m moving up on him.”
“Watch your fire, I got him down.”
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Another voice, likely an officer who recently arrived, calls out.
“I think so … I’m not hearing any gunshots,” the original officer responds. Then he questions himself: “Is he down?”
When the other officer confirms, the first officer says, “Goddamn, bro” and exhales loudly.
As he moves forward, the footage reveals the first sight of another law-enforcement officer at the mall.
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The footage ends as the officers hover over the body of the gunman, who is bleeding on the sidewalk in front of Fatburger.
“We got him.”
Source: The Dallas Morning News
