ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Following a deadly mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall over the weekend, President Joe Biden directed all flags across the country to fly at half-staff.
Eight people died in the attack Saturday afternoon at Allen Premium Outlets. Witnesses reported seeing children among the victims killed.
Flags in Florida and the rest of the U.S. will fly at half-staff at local and state buildings, installations and grounds through the state through Thursday, May 11.
The suspect in the Texas mall shooting has been identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced. He was killed by police at the scene of the shooting.
The Allen, Texas, shooting is among the latest mass casualty events at the hands of gun violence. Barely a week before, five people were fatally shot in Cleveland, Texas, after a neighbor asked a man to stop firing his gun while a baby slept, authorities said.
Already this year, the total number of mass killings has exceeded the record set in 2009 when 93 people were killed in 17 incidents by the end of April, the Associated Press reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.