Texas Police Pursuit Ends in Tragedy: Truck Crashes Through Killeen Mall, Injuring 5

Truck crashes through Texas mall during police chase, injuring 5. Driver fatally shot by officers in Killeen. Investigation ongoing.

Pickup truck driver crashes through JCPenney at a Texas mall during a police chase, injuring five people before being fatally shot.

 

KILLEEN, Texas — A chaotic scene unfolded Saturday evening in Killeen, Texas, as a police chase ended in tragedy when a pickup truck crashed through the doors of a JCPenney store at a busy mall, injuring five people before officers fatally shot the driver.

 

The incident began around 5 p.m. on Interstate 14 in Belton, about 20 miles from Killeen, when authorities received reports of an erratic driver in a black pickup truck, according to Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department.

 

The driver exited the highway and entered the parking lot of the Killeen mall before driving through the JCPenney entrance around 5:30 p.m., Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko said.

 

“The suspect drove through the doors and continued to drive through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people,” Washko stated during a press briefing. “The trooper and the Killeen police officer pursued the vehicle on foot as it actively ran people over.”

 

The rampage spanned several hundred yards within the mall, injuring five people ranging in age from 6 to 75 years old. Four victims were transported to area hospitals by emergency medical services, while another sought medical care independently. Their conditions were not immediately available.

 

Law enforcement officers, including one working off duty as a mall security guard, engaged in gunfire to neutralize the driver. The suspect was fatally shot, but authorities have not yet disclosed their identity.

 

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and described panicked shoppers fleeing the mall as the chaos unfolded.

 

The investigation is ongoing, with state and local agencies collaborating to determine the motive behind the incident.