A woman who survived the Texas mall shooting this past weekend is crediting a sales associate at the H&M store there for hiding her and a dozen others inside a storage room, The New York Post reports. The worker later lost her life during the shooting.
Raquel Lee said she was about to go shopping Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets north of Dallas and parked outside of the H&M store shortly before Mauricio Garcia, 33, drove up and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle, killing eight people and wounding seven others, CBS News Texas reported. Garcia was subsequently killed by a police officer who was already on-site to deal with another call.
Lee shared video of the group sheltering in place inside a storage room, trying to make phone calls while sitting on the floor. Her footage also shows the group later being led out of the room with their hands up after police cleared the bloody scene.
Lee said one of the bodies she saw on her way out was that of the heroic store employee.
Mall owner Simon Property Group posted the following statement on the part of its website providing information on the Allen locale:
“We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the Allen police officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders.”