The shooting which unfolded in a mall in El Paso, Texas, this week was the result of a “random incident” between two groups of men, according to investigators.
Gunfire erupted at around 5pm on Wednesday in the food court of the Cielo Vista Mall, leaving one man killed and another three men wounded. Two suspects – both male – were quickly arrested.
In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, El Paso interim Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that the shooting was not gang related but came about when two groups got into a “confrontation” and “physical altercation” in the food court.
“This is a random incident encounter between two groups. I want to emphasise this. This is a random incident that occurred between two groups at the mall,” he said.
During the altercation, one man pulled out a hangun and shots were fired.
The shooting has brought back “bad memories” for the El Paso community, with Cielo Vista Mall being located directly adjacent to the Walmart store where 23 people were killed in a racially-motivated mass shooting back in August 2019.
