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Lucero Mitzy Solis was in the Samsung Experience Store at the Galleria in Houston on Saturday afternoon when the sound of screaming emerged and a stampede of people appeared. Then Solis heard two words.
“The employees quickly ran to the back and allowed a few of us to run with them,” Solis said.
At around 3:30 p.m., Houston police began to receive reports of gunfire at the mall which, according to numerous accounts on social media, had been packed with people. An hour later, authorities had found no gunshot victims or any evidence of a shooting. But by then, witnesses said, the chaos, panic, fear and confusion had already worn off in stores and parking lots and on social media, where unconfirmed reports of an active shooter were circulating. to thousands of people.
Even after Houston police called the situation stable early Saturday night, it’s unclear exactly what raised the alarm.
“At the moment we are still unaware of the situation that caused the chaos, but even if there was a gun involved or not, I’m sure no one would have stayed on the line to find out. “said Solis. “To be honest, I don’t wish this fear on anyone.”
One witness described what looked like hundreds of people all running in the same direction, some tripping over each other. Several tried to make phone calls. Others cried.
Blayne Palomino, a 20-year-old who attends school in Austin and was touring the city this weekend, was on the second floor hanging out with friends, heading to the Apple Store.
“We hear some commotion,” Palomino said. “What is happening?”
A group of people were running past.
“We just didn’t know what was going on,” Palomino said.
Palomino started to run as people screamed. Cuss the words, “Shooter, active shooter” and “A fight is underway” among the songs Palomino remembered.
“I was just in airplane mode,” Palomino said. “If some people run, I’ll run.”
A spokesperson for the mall referred a reporter to a statement by Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo that authorities found “no evidence of gunfire.”
“The situation is stable without injuries,” said Acevedo in a Tweeter. “Please always report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, another tweet with a video of people running and screaming was viewed nearly 400,000 times before it was apparently deleted.
In the Samsung store where Solis bought new phones with her family, parents held the kids and couples hooked on each other.
“The thoughts in all of our minds were to run, it wasn’t until we felt safe that everyone started checking each other out,” Solis said. “It was terrifying.”
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