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Man shot dead by police after driving into Texas shopping center and hitting several people

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Man shot dead by police after driving into Texas shopping center and hitting several people

A man who struck several people after driving into a Texas mall on Saturday was shot and killed by police, authorities said.

The man rammed the front of a JC Penney store at the Killeen Mall in Killen, shattering the glass doors, and continued to drive his black pickup truck for about 100 yards while “hitting multiple people” and “actively running people over the Texas Department of Public said. Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko said this during a press conference on Saturday evening.

The police then opened fire and shot the suspect dead. Washko said there is no longer a threat to the community and the Texas Rangers are investigating the police shooting.

Four people were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to minor, Washko said. He added that another person injured in the incident walked into the hospital with minor injuries.

No deaths have been reported other than the suspect. Washko said the injured range in age from six to 75 years old.

Washko emphasized that there was no active shooter at the mall as initially reported and circulated on social media. Killeen police also dispelled the rumor on Facebook earlier Saturday.

Police initially pursued the man after they received a report of a possible drunk driver on the highway around 5 p.m., Washko said. The driver exited Interstate 14 and pulled into the Killeen Mall parking lot before driving into the store.

Video footage from the scene showed police gathering at the mall.

Police asked the public to avoid the area so first responders could gain access and investigators could investigate the nature of the incident.

Killeen is a city about 67 miles north of Austin. Killeen Mall states on its website that it has more than 90 retailers.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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