Texas school district votes to provide schools with armed security officers after Allen outlet mall shooting
A school district in a North Texas city where a gunman killed eight people at an outdoor shopping mall will place armed security guards on every school campus.
The Allen Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday in favor of complying with a state requirement to provide every campus in Texas with safety measures in response to the shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in May.
Under House Bill 3, which was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, public schools are required to have at least one armed security officer or other armed school personnel. School districts have until September to comply with the law.
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In order to comply with HB3, Allen ISD trustees approved hiring L&P Global, a private security firm, a move expected to cost the district around $700,000, half of which will be covered by grants.
At a special meeting held Monday, Allen ISD Supt. Brent Benningfield noted the district’s deadline comes nearly three weeks after the fall semester begins on Aug. 10.
“I know everybody is aware that we have students in the building on August 10, not after September 1,” he said. “Why would we wait a month to provide it when they’re already in the building?”
Benningfield explained that due to a personnel shortage, the district does not have enough officers to provide additional security beyond Allen ISD police personnel already in place.
The May shooting at the outlet mall rocked the city of Allen, located about 20 miles northwest of Dallas, and left eight people dead, including children, and injured seven others. The shooter was killed by an on-duty police officer who happened to be at the mall on an unrelated call.
Authorities later identified the gunman as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. Investigators have not revealed any motive for the shooting.
Witnesses at the mall told The Associated Press they saw several victims, including some who seemed to be children. They also reported seeing a police officer and a security guard who appeared to be unconscious on the ground.
At least nine people were hospitalized following the incident, with their ages ranging from 5 to 61, according to a spokesperson for Medical City Healthcare, which operates three trauma facilities in the area.
Among the victims were three members of a Korean-American family who attended New Song, a Korean Baptist church in Carrollton, a suburb located about 10 miles north of Dallas.
Cindy, Kyu and James Cho lost their lives in the shooting, leaving 6-year-old William as the family's sole survivor.
Within days of the shooting, Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano announced William was also a student at the private school and that students and staff would be providing counseling following the shooting.
"We're certainly heartbroken over the news of the shooting in Allen, Texas, and we can confirm that it did impact a family here at PCA,” said PCA Supt. Mike Goddard. “One of the things that's really powerful about having a connection to church and school is that we're family-oriented and we rely on God during times like this.”
