By Biodun Busari

One man was killed and three more were injured when a gunman opened fire in a busy shopping mall in Texas, United States on Wednesday.

The shooting happened at Cielo Vista Mall, right across a large parking lot from a Walmart where 23 people were killed in a racist attack in 2019 in El Paso, Texas, US.

According to Metro, it is the latest in a series of mass shootings that have claimed lives in the US this year,

In a reaction, El Paso said two men were arrested in connection with the shooting, noting that the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.

The Cielo Vista Mall, where the shooting took place, has been cordoned off as a crime scene, and law enforcement officials have specified that it will remain shut until their investigation is complete.

Interim police chief Peter Pacillas assured the public that there is no longer any threat to their safety, despite the ongoing investigation, reports Metro.

El Paso — with a predominantly Latino population of about 700,000 people — sits on the US border with Mexico, where residents of both countries cross frequently.

“Today’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall has brought back traumatic memories for many of us. Please know you are not alone,” Democratic US Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said on Twitter.

The US has seen dozens of people killed in mass shootings so far in 2023, most recently Monday at Michigan State University, where three students were killed and five more were wounded.

In January, 11 people were killed in the Los Angeles-area city of Monterey Park as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.