Police identify driver who crashed into Texas mall before being shot by officers

By Zoe Sottile, Ashley R. Williams, Taylor Galgano, Sarah Dewberry and Alaa Elassar, CNN

(CNN) — Police have identified the man they said drove into a Texas mall Saturday after a 19-mile police pursuit, striking four people before he was fatally shot by responding law enforcement officers.

John Darrel Schultz, 53, of Kempner, Texas, has been identified as the suspect, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko confirmed to CNN on Sunday.

The chase began when a Texas Highway Patrol trooper tried to stop a pickup truck around 5 p.m. CT in the Belton area after authorities got a call about the driver possibly being intoxicated, Washko said at a Saturday news conference.

The suspect exited the highway and entered the Killeen Mall parking lot, where he drove through the glass doors of a JCPenney store’s main entrance during the busy holiday shopping season, according to Washko.

The suspect “drove through the doors and continued to travel through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people,” he said.

Law enforcement officers shot and killed Schulz after the chase, Washko said.

The truck traveled “several hundred yards” through the store as troopers and local police followed on foot and “engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat,” Washko said.

Four people were injured by the pickup truck as it drove through the mall and were taken to a hospital while a fifth person went to the hospital on their own, Washko said. The victims range in age from 6 to 75 years old.

“There’s people in here shopping for their families, their children, their friends, loved ones, and these kinds of things we don’t like to see, obviously, and we pray for their recovery,” Washko said of the victims.

Two off-duty officers who were at the mall with their families were among the law enforcement who opened fire to stop the driver, Washko said.

“It’s unfortunate that this has happened, and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this incident,” a Killeen Mall spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of our employees and guests. As the investigation is ongoing, we cannot provide any further comments.”

The mall reopened at 1 p.m. Sunday and will close at 8 p.m. before returning to normal holiday hours.

Witnesses describe chaos

Nathan Carrasco told CNN he was in his car with his friends in the Killeen Mall parking lot when they witnessed a truck drive through the JCPenney door and run over people.

Carrasco said two police vehicles chased the truck in the parking lot, and just before officers nearly cornered the truck, the truck drove through the department store.

Carrasco and his friends jumped out of the car to make sure everyone was OK, he said.

“There were people lying on the floor with glass everywhere,” Carrasco said, adding people rushed into the store to help a woman and a young girl who was bleeding.

Catherine Dedden told CNN her dashcam partially captured the police chase on a nearby highway, which runs adjacent to the mall, while she was in the mall parking lot.

“We turned around in the parking lot and the chase was in front of us,” Dedden said, adding she did not see the truck crash into the mall but saw an officer tend to a young girl.

“I saw a little girl being carried by a police officer,” Dedden said. “Her head was bleeding; she was shaking. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. The officer was shaken, his full attention was on the child as he bandaged her. They took her into the ambulance.”

Rose and Will Parker told CNN they were near the coffee shop near the JCPenney when they heard several gunshots and saw people running.

“I grabbed my wife, and we went into the coffee shop. We locked up in a back room,” Will Parker said.

They were in the coffee shop for about 15 minutes when a security guard escorted them out of the mall.

“It was a mess,” Parker said. “I’m thankful to the gentleman, the security guy, that helped us out.”

Killeen is about 70 miles north of Austin and is home to the Army’s Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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