El Paso police respond to shooting inside Cielo Vista Mall; 1 killed, 3 hurt

A person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting Wednesday evening inside Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso police confirmed.

"We have one person in custody," El Paso Police Department spokesman Sgt. Robert Gomez said at a news conference. One more person might be involved as well but has not been detained, he added. No description of the outstanding suspect was available.

"We don't have any active shooters at this time," Gomez said. "All we know right now that it's isolated to Cielo Vista Mall."

He said the shooting was inside the mall, but could not confirm it was at the food court.

Cellphone videos posted on social media showed customers running out of the mall into the parking lot as police rushed to the scene. A young man was detained nearby.

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Gomez said the first calls came in at 5:10 p.m. about shots fired, and multiple law enforcement units responded.

One person died in the shooting and three others were injured, he said. The injured were transported to area hospitals.

El Paso police, including the SWAT team, and units from other agencies responded to help clear and secure the mall he added.

He said the shooting suspect was taken into custody soon after the attack, but did not know the suspect's gender or age.

A family reunification center has been established at Burges High School, 7800 Edgemere Blvd.

"Right now, the units are clearing the mall, they are gathering the witnesses," Gomez said.

"This is a live scene" and will take time, he added.

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Two victims taken to UMC

“We have two patients, both in critical condition,” said University Medical Center of El Paso spokesman Ryan Mielke. He said he didn’t know the patients’ ages or genders yet.

A large police presence remained at the mall Wednesday night. The public is asked by police officials to stay away from the area.

Some customers and mall employees took shelter inside the mall.

El Paso police respond to a report of a shooting at the food court at Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
El Paso police respond to a report of a shooting at the food court at Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Dozens of police officers, some armed with rifles, remained inside and around Cielo Vista Mall and the neighboring Fountains of Farah shopping center.

A SWAT team could be seen entering the mall as El Paso police were joined by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, the U.S. Border Patrol and FBI agents.

The El Paso Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert as numerous agencies responded.

Cielo Vista Mall is next to the Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people on Aug. 3, 2019. The Walmart shooter pleaded guilty last week to federal hate crime charges in the mass shooting targeting Latinos.

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*This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police investigate shooting at Cielo Vista Mall; 1 killed, 3 hurt