US: Truck driver fatally shot after plowing through mall in Texas

A chaotic scene unfolded in Killeen, Texas, on Saturday evening when a pickup truck driver, fleeing police, crashed through the doors of a JCPenney store and continued through a crowded mall, injuring five people before being fatally shot by law enforcement.

The incident began around 5 p.m. on Interstate 14 in Belton, approximately 20 miles from Killeen, after reports of an erratic driver in a black pickup.

The suspect pulled off the road and into the parking lot of Killeen Mall before driving through the JCPenney entrance at around 5:30 p.m., Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a news briefing.

Inside the mall, the truck struck multiple people, ranging in age from 6 to 75 years old. Four were transported to area hospitals by emergency services, while another sought medical care independently. Their conditions remain unknown.

Law enforcement pursued the driver on foot through the store as he continued to drive recklessly, “actively running people over,” Washko said. The pursuit ended several hundred yards into the mall, where officers from multiple agencies engaged in gunfire to neutralize the threat.

Among the officers who confronted the suspect were off-duty personnel and a security guard working at the mall. The driver’s identity has not yet been released.

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and described scenes of panic as people fled the mall. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.