A gunman shot and killed eight people and wounded at least seven others at a busy mall north of Dallas on Saturday, police said.
The gunman, whom authorities said they think acted alone and whose motive was not yet known, was killed by a police officer after he began firing outside of the Allen Premium Outlets mall at 3:36 p.m. local time in Allen, Texas, the city's police chief Brian Harvey said at a press conference.
Allen fire department chief Jon Boyd told the same press conference his department took at least nine victims with gunshot wounds to area hospitals.
Two of those people died at the hospital, Boyd said at a second press conference Saturday night. Three of the victims were in critical condition and four others were stable.
Medical City Healthcare, which runs 16 hospitals in the area, said in a statement its trauma centers were treating eight of the wounded victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 61.
A local police news conference noted the initial response to the active shooter came from a police officer on an unrelated call hearing the gun shots nearby and responding, taking down the shooter.
Video posted online showed the sound of gunfire ringing out, and an alleged dash cam video appears to capture the start of the incident.
WFAA television reported children were among the victims.
"He pretty much was walking down the sidewalk just ... shooting his gun outside," an eyewitness told the station. "He was just shooting his gun everywhere for the most part."
"We are devastated by the tragic news of the shootings that took place at the Allen Premium Outlets today," Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, tweeted Saturday night. "Our prayers are with the victims and their families and all law enforcement on the scene.
"This is an ongoing situation, but Allen PD has full control of the scene. A shooter is down and there are multiple casualties. They are continuing to work to ensure the scene is safe. The public is being asked to stay away from that area while this investigation continues."
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, called the shooting an "unspeakable tragedy" in a written statement.
"Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy," Abbott wrote. "I have been in contact with Mayor Fulk and DPS Director McCraw as well as other state and local leaders and offered the full support of the State of Texas to local officials to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including DPS officers, Texas Rangers, and investigative resources."
Video footage from local media showed police officers hurrying shoppers out of the mall, with squad cars and emergency vehicles parked near entryways.
"Law enforcement is on the scene at Allen Premium Outlets. An active investigation is underway. Please avoid the area until further update," the Allen Police Department said in a Twitter post.
Allen, Texas, is a community of about 100,000 people.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill, the top elected official in the county where Allen sits, praised police and other first responders at a press conference, but expressed deep anger with "those that would do evil in our community, in our backyard."
Separately, police in the nearby city of Frisco, Texas, said they had evacuated the Stonebriar mall late Saturday after receiving reports of shots fired there. It was not yet clear if a shooting had actually taken place.
TV aerial images showed hundreds of people calmly walking out of the mall, located about 25 miles northeast of Dallas, after the violence unfolded, many with their hands up as scores of police stood guard.
Blood could be seen on sidewalks outside the mall and white sheets covering what appeared to be bodies.
Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.
"It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside," Payton said.
People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were laying nearby.
Once outside, Payton saw bodies.
"I pray it wasn't kids, but it looked like kids," he said. The bodies were covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground, he said.
"It broke me when I walked out to see that," he said.
Further away, he saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter, Payton said, because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered up.
Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in the Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.
"We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping," Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press. "I said, 'Was that gunfire?'"
Employees immediately rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.
Eber Romero was at the Under Armour store when a cashier mentioned that there was a shooting.
As he left the store, Romero said, the mall appeared empty, and all the shops had their security gates down. That is when he started seeing broken glass and people who had been shot on the floor.
Video shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot while gunfire could be heard.
More than 30 police cruisers with lights flashing were blocking an entrance to the mall, with multiple ambulances on the scene.
A live aerial broadcast from the news station showed armored trucks and other law enforcement vehicles stationed outside the sprawling outdoor mall.
Ambulances from several neighboring cities responded to the scene.
The Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used to compile this report.