May 7, 2023

By the staff of The Morning

Good morning. A gunman killed at least eight people at a crowded shopping mall in Texas yesterday.

Shoppers being evacuated from the mall.WFAA, via Associated Press

Dozens of shots

A gunman opened fire at a crowded mall north of Dallas yesterday, killing at least eight people and wounding seven others before he was shot to death, the authorities said. The shooting was the second-deadliest in the U.S. this year.

The authorities didn't identify the gunman but said he had acted alone.

There have been 199 shootings of at least four people this year in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive, a database. And a particularly deadly spate of large-scale shootings has unfolded in recent days. Last weekend outside Houston, a gunman shot to death five people after neighbors had asked him to stop shooting in his yard.

Texas has some of the country's most permissive gun laws, priding itself on being a state with more than 1 million gun owners despite its recent history of mass shootings. Many authorities in Texas say they have seen an increase in spur-of-the-moment gunfire since September 2021, when the state began to allow most adults to carry a handgun without a license.

Yesterday's shooting was the deadliest in Texas since the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde in May 2022. Only the Monterey Park, Calif., mass shooting in January, in which a gunman killed 11 people in a ballroom, has killed more people in a single shooting in the U.S. this year.

How it unfolded

The gunfire started around 3:30 p.m. at the Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor mall of more than 120 stores about 25 miles north of Dallas. Allen, a Dallas suburb, has about 100,000 residents, and the shopping center is one of the region's largest.

The gunman got out of a car, then started shooting at people on a sidewalk, according to video circulating online, The Dallas Morning News reported. Dozens of shots rang out as he closed in on shoppers. Videos on social media also showed people dashing for shelter or running through a parking lot amid loud popping noises.

A police officer at the mall rushed toward the sound of gunfire and killed the gunman, the Allen police chief said.

Witnesses described a familiar scene of pandemonium. Geoffrey Keaton was having lunch when he heard the gunshots. "I immediately knew," he told The Times. "I got my baby girl under the counter to shield her, and then they got louder, like he was right there."

What we don't know

Little is known about the victims; the authorities have yet to identify them. Seven people died at the mall, and two others died later at hospitals. The wounded range from 5 to 61, a hospital spokesman said. Three people were in critical condition and four in stable condition.

The authorities have not identified the gunman's motive.

For more

Shoppers said they hid in storerooms at the mall while they waited to evacuate.
Last weekend's shooting outside Houston raised questions about how the police in Texas handle reports of gunfire.
State leaders in Texas have systematically rejected measures that would limit access to guns, The Texas Tribune reported.

Continue reading the main story

NEWS

Coronation

King Charles and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.Andrew Testa for The New York Times

King Charles was crowned in an ancient ceremony with modern twists.
At a coronation, a dress is not just a dress. Here's a look at the fashion (including Katy Perry's hat).
"It's just part of our lives": Why does Britain still have a monarchy?

FROM OPINION

Social media companies need to address speech that incites fear, Julia Angwin argues.

Here are columns by Maureen Dowd on the Supreme Court, Michelle Goldberg on E. Jean Carroll and Ross Douthat on anti-Trump Republicans.

The Sunday question: Should Democrats negotiate with Republicans on the debt limit?

President Biden learned his lesson from the debt limit crisis in 2011: Negotiating with hostage-takers "invites more hostage-taking," Catherine Rampell writes for The Washington Post. Kimberly Strassel of The Wall Street Journal argues that House Republicans did their part when they passed a bill that would raise the debt limit, and it's on Biden to respond.

Enjoy the complete Times experience today.

The New York Times All Access subscription brings you full digital access to news and analysis, plus Games, Cooking, Wirecutter and The Athletic. Subscribe today at this introductory rate.

MORNING READS

Gypsy Wood, a burlesque dancer with the Spiegelworld circus.Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times

California revival: A circus is trying to transform a ghost town.

Vows: She had grown weary of dating apps. Then a perfect match came along.

Unsubscribe, please: Here's how to actually get off an email list.

Advice from Wirecutter: Pick the best cooler for summer.

Lives lived: The pianist Menahem Pressler fled Nazi Germany as a youth and became the anchor of a group that, with various lineups, performed all over the world for 53 years. He died at 99.

Continue reading the main story

BOOKS

We crave beauty: But, one author asks, at what cost?

By the Book: The artist Sarah Sze would invite Gertrude Stein to a dinner party — to hear her pick a fight.

At the tip of India: Read your way through Kerala.

Our editors' picks: "How Not to Kill Yourself," a messy and unflinching memoir, and eight other titles.

Times best sellers: Emily Henry's "Happy Place" is on top of the hardcover fiction list.

THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

Photograph by Ashley Gilbertson/VII, for The New York Times.

On the cover: What Kyrsten Sinema's breakup with the Democratic Party means for American politics.

Superfakes: Can you tell the difference between a $10,000 Chanel bag and a $200 knockoff?

Nobel laureate: The novelist Rachel Cusk on what makes Annie Ernaux's fiction shocking.

Read the full issue.

THE WEEK AHEAD

What to Watch For

Tomorrow is a public holiday in Britain because of King Charles's coronation. Financial markets will be closed.
This year's Pulitzer Prize winners will be announced tomorrow.
Biden and congressional leaders will meet on Tuesday to discuss the debt limit.
The U.S. government will release new inflation figures on Wednesday.
Title 42, the pandemic-era authority that allows officials to speedily send migrants out of the U.S., is set to expire Thursday.
The U.S. will let its Covid public health emergency expire on Thursday.
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, will visit the White House on Friday.

What to Cook This Week

David Malosh for The New York Times

Cooking shortcuts are the focus of Emily Weinstein's Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter this week. Yossy Arefi's citrusy grilled shrimp pairs with a slaw made from packaged cabbage. Crispy sour cream and onion chicken marries a tasty dip with breaded cutlets. And feta is delicious after a stint in the oven; this recipe bakes it on a sheet pan with broccolini, tomatoes and lemon.