Sgt. Bryan Washko said the suspect crashed through the front doors of the JC Penney and drove through the mall running over multiple people.
KILLEEN, Texas — Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko said a person who drove through the Killeen mall Saturday night was shot and killed by a trooper.
Washko said the suspect drove through the front of the JC Penney and ran over multiple people. He said four people were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from severe to minor. A fifth person took themselves to the hospital.
News of the incident quickly spread on social media with some people claiming there was an active shooter, which Washko was quick to dispel.
“First of all let me just reiterate this is not an active shooter,” Washko said. There’s a lot of chatter going online that it was first came out as an active shooter. So, we’ll go ahead and squash that. That did not happen.”
“There is no active shooter at the Killeen Mall,” Killeen police posted to Facebook. “DPS, KFD and KPD are currently on scene investigating this incident. The area is secure and we urge citizens to stay away from the Killeen Mall at this time.”
A spokesperson for the police department said it started with a police chase that started in Belton and ended at the mall.
As of the time this story was written, it was unclear how many people were injured or how badly.
6 News has a crew at the scene and this story will be updated.