A rifle-wielding gunman opened fire at a sprawling El Paso, Texas, shopping center packed with back-to-school shoppers Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring at least 22 more, police and city officials said.
Patrick Crusius, 21, of suburban Dallas, was under arrest at a Walmart adjacent to the Cielo Vista Mall after the 10 a.m. attack in the west Texas city, the Associated Press reported.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton put the death toll at between 15 and 20, CBS News reported. NBC and ABC said 19 people died, quoting local law enforcement officials.
"It is a tragedy beyond tragedy," said El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, who became distraught while speaking live television on CNN. "We are just torn up beyond belief."
At least 22 wounded victims were taken to nearby hospitals, where one victim died.
Police and the mayor said were tight-lipped about a possible motive.
President Donald Trump called the shooting "terrible" before tweeting support for Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Colby Covington.
"God be with you all!" Trump wrote on Twitter,
Early reports said there were multiple shooters, but Sgt. Robert Gomez said police believe only one gunman was involved.
Shoppers at the Walmart ran through the aisles in panic after the suspect started shooting. Reports said the gunman moved from the Walmart parking lot inside the store, spreading bloodshed and terror in his path.
One video showed several bodies lying in the store parking lot, including several near a table near the Walmart entrance where people appear to have been raising money for charity.
A surveillance photo showed a man identified as Crusius wearing cargo pants, a black T-shirt and headphones as he strode into the Walmart.
Another video depicted a shopper cowering in a store as a series of gunshots slowly rang out, suggesting a methodical killing spree.
Sgt. Enrique Carrillo of the El Paso Police Department warned people who cannot reach loved ones to go to a family reunification center at a local middle school and to avoid the shopping center.
El Paso is the hometown of Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke. He interrupted a campaign event in Las Vegas to tell supporters that his wife and daughter were driving near their home at the time of the shooting and were not injured.
"El Paso is the strongest place in the world," said O'Rourke, who cut short the trip to fly home.
Army veteran Glendon Oakly was shopping in a Foot Locker store when teenagers raced in to tell customers that there was a mass shooter. He heard two shots ring out _ and immediately started herding young people to safety.
"I was just focused on the kids," Oakly told CNN. "I was just trying to get them out of there."
Walmart said in a statement that the company was praying for the victims, including workers at its store.
Mass shootings are increasingly common in the United States. Just last Sunday, a teenage gunman opened fire with an assault-style rifle on the crowd at a food festival in northern California, killing three people before turning the gun on himself.
