Texas lawyer opens fire at mall in Houston, 9 injured

A gunman opened fire in Houston on Monday just before daybreak, wounding nine people before police shot and killed him, the police said.

The shooter was a Houston-area lawyer, the Texas city’s police chief Martha Montalvo told a press conference. She would not identify the man by name.

The police said they were investigating whether the shooting was motivated by “issues at his firm.”

Of the nine people injured, six were sent to hospitals while three were treated and released near the scene of the incident. One person was in critical condition and another in serious condition, the police said. The police did not disclose what kind of gun was used.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner told local television station KTRK that it appeared the motivation for the shooting may have been the lawyer’s relationship with his firm, which “went awry.”

The police chief said there were no indications of any others involved, and that investigators were checking the man’s social media accounts to help in determining his motive.

“The individual was firing actively at the officers,” Mr Montalvo said. The shooter was killed, after which the police examined his body for explosives.

They examined his car and found many weapons, Mr Montalvo said.