Medics saved every ‘recoverable’ victim in Allen outlet mall shooting, report says
ALLEN, Texas - Emergency responders in Collin County said they saved every shooting victim who could have been saved after last month’s mass shooting in Allen.
Tuesday marks one month since a gunman killed eight people and injured seven others at Allen Premium Outlets.
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A new 66-page report from the city shows emergency crews reached their first patient 12 minutes after they were dispatched. Their quick action is credited with saving several lives.
The fire chief says one of the biggest challenges for paramedics was to sort through misinformation while focusing on treating victims.
"Every recoverable victim was saved," said Dr. Kevin Hoffman, the medical director for the Allen Fire Department. "If it were not for the training police and fire personnel had, I don't think we would have been as fortunate."
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Hoffman said police officers used tactical combat medical techniques to stop the victims' bleeding before paramedics arrived.
A special rescue task force made up of police and fire units then provided care to the victims while other officers focused on making sure the threat was gone.
The report said crews were told there may have been a second shooter, but an Allen police officer who was already at the outlet mall had shot and killed the only gunman minutes after the shooting began.
"The majority of the medical treatment as far as stopping the bleeding was actually done by the law enforcement officers," said Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd. "They carry tourniquets and chest seals and those were applied before some of the paramedics were even on scene."
Chief Boyd recalls false reports of a second gunman.
"I remember somebody pointing over to the dumpster enclosure that was right next to us and saying there’s another shooter right inside that dumpster enclosure," he said. "And this is 20 yards from where we had just pulled up. But there was no shooter there. There was no shooter there. It’s that level of chaos and conflicting information that’s just flooded on you."
The report details emergencies you might not expect such as someone having a panic attack or heart attack, a 3-year-old boy having a seizure and some restaurant employees an hour and a half after the shooting realizing they left their equipment cooking and running. They feared it might catch fire.
"There was definitely things that we didn’t anticipate, like needing to turn off fryers and ovens," Boyd said.
Looking back, Chief Boyd believes first responders were well prepared. Moving forward, he knows nothing could have prepared the community for the emotional pain.
"I don’t think it’s going to be something that this community forgets," he said.
Allen Outlets Shooting: Officer who killed gunman processing tragedy
The Allen police officer who killed the gunman in Saturday’s mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets is asking for privacy as he continues to process the life-altering tragedy.
In addition to Allen's emergency responders, crews from McKinney, Plano, Fairview, Lucas, Prosper, Frisco and Princeton also responded to help where needed.
Boyd said it is difficult to know eight people still died that day. But no amount of training or quicker response could have saved them.
"We will always remember those whose lives were taken on May 6th. Our community will come together, Allen strong, to see that they are not forgotten," he said.
The report does not contain law enforcement events or any information related to the ongoing Texas DPS and Texas Rangers investigations.