(Washington) A gunman opened fire on Saturday in a shopping center in the Dallas, Texas area, killing several people and injuring nine others according to the emergency services, which did not specify the death toll.

The shooting took place at the Allen Premium Outlets, a large shopping center in the town of Allen, in the northeastern US state of Texas.

Local police chief Brian Harvey confirmed the death of several people while refusing to provide a toll, saying he lacked specific information.

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said his crews “transported nine victims to trauma centers.”

A police officer was in the mall on another matter when shots rang out around 3:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m. EST), Harvey said, adding that the officer had “incapacitated the suspect.” .

State Governor Greg Abbott lamented an “unspeakable tragedy.”

Initially there was talk of a possible second shooter, according to a CNN witness, but Brian Harvey said police believe the incapacitated suspect, whose identity is not yet known, “acted alone” .

The shooter was wearing tactical gear, according to CNN.

With more guns than people, the United States has the highest gun death rate of any developed country: 49,000 in 2021, down from 45,000 in 2020.

The Gun Violence Archive site has already recorded more than 195 mass killings in the United States this year, that is to say where four or more people have been injured or killed.