Face of Nation : An active shooter near the area of a shopping mall in El Paso is drawing a response from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. El Paso police tweeted at about noon local time that they have “reports of multiple shooters.”
In several earlier tweetsSaturday, police urged people to stay away from the area near the Cielo Vista mall due to an “active shooter.” The police tweeted that the shooter was in the area of Hawkins and Gateway East boulevards, which is the location of a Walmart.
“Scene is still active avoid the area,” the department wrote. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, was an hour into a town hall meeting at Coronado High School 15 miles from the mall, when she abruptly had to end the event because of the shooting.
The crowd gasped in response and began to move, according to the congresswoman’s Facebook Live video. “Oh, it’s at Cielo Vista,” Escobar quickly clarified before apologizing for not being clearer.“We’ve been asked by law enforcement to just send everybody home,” she said.
Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke of El Paso urged residents in El Paso to “stay safe.” “Truly heartbreaking,” he wrote in a tweet. “Please follow all directions of emergency personnel as we continue to get more updates.”