Man who drove pickup truck into Texas mall identified
A pick-up truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store at a busy Texas mall, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by officers, authorities said.
A 53-year-old man identified as John Darrel Schultz of Kempner drove a truck and crashed into the department store in Killeen, about 110km north of the state capital Austin, on Saturday afternoon local time and continued into the building, striking people as he went, according to Sergeant Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Emergency medical services transported four victims from the mall to area hospitals and another traveled to a hospital separately. They ranged in age from six to 75 years old and their conditions were not immediately known, he said.
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This image provided by KXXV shows police responding to a JC Penney at a shopping mall as people look on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Killeen, Texas. (KXXV via AP) AP
The chase began around 5pm on Interstate 14 in Belton, about 30km from Killeen, after authorities received calls about an erratic driver in a black pick-up, Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department said.
Schultz then pulled off the road and drove into the parking lot of the mall.
"The suspect drove through the doors and continued to drive through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people," Washko said.
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The driver pulled off and drove into the mall's parking lot, crashed into the department store and continued driving. AP
"The trooper and the Killeen police officer continued on foot after this vehicle, which was driving through the store, actively running people over. He traveled several hundred yards."
Officers from the state public safety department, Killeen and three other law enforcement agencies "engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat," Washko said.
One of the officers who traded gunfire with the suspect was working as a security guard at the mall and others were off duty, he said.
Witnesses interviewed by local news outlets outside the mall said they heard multiple gunshots and saw people fleeing through the mall.
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