ALLEN, Texas – The ECHL Mountain Division Finals series between the Idaho Steelheads and Allen Americans was postponed following a mass shooting that occurred in the vicinity of Allen’s home arena.
According to an update posted to the City of Allen’s website at 6:48 p.m., an Allen Police Department officer on an unrelated call at Allen Premium Outlets heard gunshots at 3:36 p.m. The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat before calling for emergency personnel to respond to the location.
During a briefing held later on Saturday night, Allen Fire Chief Johnathan Boyd said that emergency responders found seven individuals dead on scene, including the shooter, and an additional nine were transported to the hospital. According to Boyd, two of those later died, bringing the total to nine fatalities. As of Saturday evening, three victims were in critical condition and four were stable.
At 5:37 p.m. the Allen Americans shared a social media post, alerting fans that the game with Idaho had been postponed.
Allen Premium Outlets is located across US Highway 75 on Stacy Road, just Northwest of Credit Union of Texas Event Center where the Americans play their home games.
Allen Mayor Ken Fulk issued the following statement-
Today is a tragic day for the City of Allen, our citizens, our friends and visitors who were at the Allen Premium Outlets. We are a strong and caring community and we want all of the victims and their families impacted by this tragedy to know that we will wrap our arms around you, and we are here for you. The City of Allen pledges to offer our complete support. We know you are grieving, we are grieving. Rest assured, the nation and the world are also grieving.
Allen is a proud and safe city which makes today’s senseless act of violence even more shocking. However, I want to commend our police and fire departments for their quick response. Their thorough training not to hesitate to move toward the threat likely saved more lives today. We also want to thank all of our surrounding municipalities and law enforcement agencies for offering their assistance at the scene. This collective effort is what makes our North Texas communities united.
We know the days ahead will be difficult and somber. While we remember the victims of today’s shooting, we want to convey our appreciation for the condolences and notes we are receiving from all over the world. I have received calls from The White House, Governor Abbot and many other national, state and county officials who have reached out to the City of Allen to express their support and desire to help the Allen Community in any way possible. On behalf of the city council, our law enforcement personnel, first responders and all of our city employees – we will remain strong and stand united.
The Mountain Division Finals series was previously scheduled to shift to Boise for game three on Wednesday. It is unclear currently if game two will be rescheduled in Allen, or if the two teams will continue with their original travel plans. PHN will share an update on the series schedule when it is announced.
Contact the writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
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