Shooting in El Paso shopping center began due to a fight between groups at a food court

EL PASO, Texas – The Texas mall shooting that killed one and injured three began as a standoff between two gangs in a food court, police said Thursday.

The ages of those involved in the brawl at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso ranged from teenagers to 20s, according to El Paso Acting Police Chief Peter Pasillas.

“This is a random incident that happened between two groups at a mall,” Pasillas said.

CONNECTED: El Paso Mall Shooting Kills 1, Injures 3

The shooting added to dozens of people already killed this year in mass shootings in the United States.

Two people were arrested after the shooting, police said. Pasillas said the fight did not appear to be gang related and they were still investigating. He said they were still trying to determine if the people in the two groups knew each other.

“Until the investigation is completed, we will not speculate on any charges,” Pasillas said.

The two injured were rushed to El Paso University Medical Center and remained in critical condition Thursday, while the man rushed to Del Sol Medical Center was in fair condition, hospitals said.

Pasillas said the two detainees, as well as all the victims, were men.

Pasillas said that during the fight, a man in one of the groups pulled out a gun and shots rang out. He said they were still trying to identify “all parties involved”. He said the shop’s security officer on duty took one person into custody.

Shooting erupted in a busy shopping district and large parking lot at Walmart, where 23 people were killed in a racist attack on Hispanics in 2019. the border with Mexico, which is often crossed by residents of both countries.

CONNECTED: Texas Man Pleads Guilty to 2019 Walmart Racist Attack

In 2023, dozens of people were killed in mass shootings across the United States, most recently at Michigan State University on Monday, where three students were killed and five more injured. In January, 11 people were killed in Monterey Park, Los Angeles, while celebrating Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.

The FBI, which is assisting the El Paso police with the investigation, has set up a website where the public can share photos or videos from the shooting.

There were more than 600 mass shootings in the US in 2022, in which at least four people were killed or injured, according to the Archive of Gun Violence.