U.S. Texas witnesses gun violence, deadly car crash over weekend

HOUSTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Texas was shrouded in horror and grief over a bloody weekend as the U.S. state witnessed a shooting spree at an outlet mall and a car crash that left many dead and wounded.

NIGHTMARISH SHOOTING SPREE

A gunman opened fire at a crowded mall north of Dallas on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring at least seven before a police officer killed him, turning a busy afternoon of shopping into a chaotic and tragic scene.

Two senior law enforcement officials said that the authorities are investigating the outlet mall massacre as a possible case of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism.

According to one of the officials, the suspect -- Mauricio Garcia, 33 -- acted alone.

Around 100 people gathered at the Allen outlet mall Sunday for a vigil for those killed and injured in Saturday's mass shooting.

Holding candles, they assembled at a memorial by Allen Premium Outlets.

"I never thought this would happen in Allen, Texas. We're suburbs; we're love. We're Black, we're white, Hispanic. But we're all together," Allen community leader Cheryl Jackson, 54, was quoted by NBC as saying.

The Dallas Mavericks called on citizens to demand action from legislators to address gun violence after the deadly shooting.

"As guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in America, the mass shooting that happened yesterday has become an unfortunate reality," the NBA team said in a statement.

"It is our duty to turn words into action to address this multifaceted and growing problem."

HORRIFIC CAR CRASH

In Brownsville, a terrifying car crash killed at least seven and wounded 12 others on Sunday. An SUV mowed down people near a shelter for the homeless and migrants in the city near the Mexican border, authorities said.

Lieutenant Martin Sandoval of Brownsville Police Department said the crash happened at around 8:30 a.m. local time (1330 GMT) when a Land Rover hit multiple people who were waiting at a bus stop across the street from Ozanam Center, a non-profit homeless shelter that has been helping house migrants. He said some migrants were among the dead and the driver was in custody.

The detained male driver was charged with reckless driving and could face additional charges, Sandoval said.

He said that authorities are still investigating whether the crash was intentional or accidental and that witnesses described seeing the driver ignore a red light, mount a curb and run over the victims waiting at the bus stop.

The influx of Venezuelan migrants in recent weeks has prompted Brownsville to declare a state of emergency.

The city has long been an epicenter for migration across the U.S.-Mexico border, and has become a key location of interest as the pandemic-era border restriction known as Title 42 will be lifted on Thursday.

The policy allowed immigration officials to swiftly send migrants back to their home countries during the pandemic. It is anticipated that there will be a surge of migrants in the coming weeks once the restriction expires.