"He said, 'My mom is hurt. My mom is hurt'," a first responder recalled.
Trigger Warning: The following contains descriptions of gun violence & graphic descriptions of injuries, which may be distressing to some readers.
A mother died bravely while shielding her son at the Allen, Texas, shopping center where a gunman openly fired at people on May 6 afternoon. In addition to the selfless mother's bravery, a man who arrived on the scene claimed to have seen an awful "carnage" in the aftermath of the mass shooting, CBS News affiliate KTVT reported.
After his son, who worked at an H&M store at the mall, called to report a shooting, Steven Spainhouer told the news organization that he immediately traveled to Allen Premium Outlets. He claimed to have been at the scene before first responders and made an immediate effort to assist.
CONTENT WARNING
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 7, 2023
“…he found a child who survived while covered by his protective mother who had been killed. ‘When I rolled the mother over, he came out. I asked if he was OK and he said, 'My mom is hurt, my mom is hurt.'” https://t.co/NR8aNAmHd6
Spainhouer shared that he discovered a child who had been covered by his dead mother's body. The mother must have sprung to her child's defenses and covered him as the shooter opened fire at the crowd, per Insider. "When I rolled the mother over, he came out, and I asked him, 'Are you okay?' And he said, 'My mom is hurt. My mom is hurt,'" Spainhouer recalled. "So rather than traumatize him any more I put him around the corner, sat him down. He was covered from head to toe like somebody had poured blood on him."
Spainhouer claimed that what he saw on Saturday will follow him throughout his entire life. "No one can see what we saw today and not be affected by it," he said. "It's not a situation I would wish upon anybody, it's just unfathomable to see the carnage."
Yesterday, Allen, Texas was torn apart by a senseless mass shooting at a shopping mall.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 7, 2023
Doug and I mourn for the eight adults and children who lost their lives, pray for those wounded, and send our gratitude to the first responders who ran toward danger.
Holding back tears, Spainhouer told KTVT that, in addition to the mother, there were at least two more individuals whom he couldn't assist, including a girl who had been fatally injured. "I never imagined in 100 years I would be thrust into the position of being the first responder on the site to take care of people," he shared. "The first girl I walked up to was crouched down covering her head in the bushes, so I felt for a pulse, pulled her head to the side and she had no face."
"The first girl I walked up to was crouched down covering her head in the bushes, so I felt for a pulse, pulled her head to the side, and she had no face."
— The Recount (@therecount) May 7, 2023
— Heartbreaking firsthand account from Steven Spainhouer, first on the scene at the Allen Premium Outlets mass shooting pic.twitter.com/Tz6zaTQyrU
“We all want 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,” Ken Fulk, the mayor of Allen, said at a news conference, per New York Times. “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.”
May God bless the victims of yesterday’s horrific shooting and their loved ones. I have been in communication with Allen Mayor Ken Fulk to offer Dallas’ full support. DPD commanders are in contact with Allen’s police chief.
— Mayor Eric L. Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) May 7, 2023
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/man-witnessed-allen-outlet-mall-shooting/
https://www.insider.com/man-finds-woman-no-face-allen-texas-mass-shooting-mall-2023-5
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/us/allen-mall-texas-shooting.html
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Joe Raedle
