By Jamie Landers and Kelli Smith
Body-camera footage released Wednesday shows the first detailed look at police response to last month’s mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets.
“This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation,” Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said in a news release. “The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat — and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful.”
Here’s what we know and what the video revealed.
Who is the officer who killed the gunman?
The Allen police officer has repeatedly declined interview requests through his attorney and his name has not been released publicly.
Officer was talking about seatbelt safety moments before gunfire began
At the start of the footage, the officer talks to two children and a woman in front of the mall’s Levi’s store.
“Make sure y’all be good, OK, and make sure you wear your seatbelts when mommy’s driving, OK?” the officer says. “You understand?”
“Yes, sir,” a child responds.
Seconds into making small talk, more than a dozen shots ring out. A woman grabs the two children as the officer calls into his radio: “145, I think we’ve got shots fired at the outlet mall.”
Civilians and officer helped one another
Just after the gunfire started, people scream and the officer yells, “We’ve got people running.” He reaches into his car to grab a rifle.
“Get going, get going, get moving!” he yells as he runs toward the shots.
Cars pass in front of him, honking, as they attempt to leave the parking lot: “Go, go, go get moving! … Get out of here!” he says.
At one point, someone yells, “He’s going this way.” The officer responds “yes!”
The officer finds and shoots at the gunman less than two minutes later.
Officer tracked down the gunman alone
Multiple bursts of gunfire are heard throughout the 5½-minute video as the officer runs, breathless, toward the shooter.
“They’re still shooting,” the officer says into his radio. “I’m on foot, I need everybody I got.”
Another officer doesn’t come into sight until the last 10 seconds of the video — after the gunman is down.
Agencies previously wouldn’t release the footage
Allen officials over the last month cited victims’ privacy and the open investigation as reasons not to release footage from the shooting.
The Dallas Morning News requested the footage under Texas public information laws, and filed more than 70 public records requests to assemble a complete picture of how the tragedy unfolded. In response, Allen officials asked the state attorney general’s office for an opinion on whether some of the records — including the video footage — could be withheld.
Why did authorities decide to release the footage now?
While Allen police haven’t detailed their reasons, the release came one day after a Collin County grand jury cleared the officer of wrongdoing and justified the officer’s use of force.
It’s common for police departments to refer officer use of force cases to a grand jury for a determination about whether their actions were legally justifiable.
| This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas- at the bottom. |
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