Texas police department directly calls out mass shooting witness who used tragedy to push gun control



The Allen Police Department says that Steven Spainhouer, who gained national attention after the mass killing outside the Allen Premium Outlets in early May, is not a "credible witness."

Who is Spainhouer?

Spainhouer gained notoriety for his gruesome account of what he witnessed in the aftermath of the shooting.

Spainhouer claimed he rushed to the outlet mall after receiving a call from his son about an active shooter. Spainhouer claimed he managed to arrive at the shooting location before first responders and thus was able to administer first aid to shooting victims, including one girl who he claimed "had no face" and a boy underneath his deceased mother.

Spainhouer later used his notoriety to push for gun control — despite being a self-declared "gun lover."

"When you get hit with an automatic weapon fire at close range, there is no opportunity for survival," Spainhouer told MSNBC. "I don't know what the gunman's problem was, but it wasn't mental health that killed these people. It was an automatic rifle with bullets.

"I'm a gun lover; I have guns. I'm a former police officer. I'm a former Army officer. But these M4s, AR-15s — they've got to get off these streets or this is gonna keep happening," he added.

\u201cFormer Army officer and 'gun lover' who witnessed the Texas mall shooting says mental health isn't the problem: "We need more gun control"\n\n"I don't know what the gunman's problem was, but it wasn't mental health that killed these people. It was an automatic rifle with bullets."\u201d
— Mark Poloncarz (@Mark Poloncarz) 1683555774

What did police say?

The Allen Police Department released a statement on Friday questioning Spainhouer's credibility. Specifically, law enforcement said his public statements do not match the evidence.

"Allen Police Department wants to inform the public of discrepancies with statements made by a witness to several media outlets. Following the shooting at Allen Premium Outlets, Mr. Steven Spainhouer of McKinney, Texas gave multiple public accounts of his actions," the department said.

"Inconsistencies between these public accounts and investigative facts led Allen Police Department to conduct a follow-up interview. During this interview, detectives determined that Mr. Spainhouer is not a credible incident witness," the agency explained.

According to police, Spainhouer did not arrive before first responders, nor did he provide first aid, like CPR, to victims. Police also said he did not uncover a boy under his dead mother.

Moreover, police refuted Spainhouer's claim that it was still an active-shooter situation when he arrived. Police said they neutralized the perpetrator four minutes after shots began at 3:36 p.m. Spainhouer did not arrive until between 3:44 and 3:52 p.m., they said.

In response to the statement, Spainhouer posted on Facebook that he is "hurt and disappointed" by police refuting his version of events. He mostly defended himself and doubled down on his previous statements. He also lashed out at the Allen Police Department for allegedly taking 20 minutes to respond, which the department already said is not true.

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Mass Shooting in Allen, Texas: Pray for Allen | 5/5/23

Mass Shooting in Allen, Texas: Pray for Allen | 5/5/23

Father rushed to Allen Outlets to save son from mass shooting, but nothing would prepare him for what he experienced: 'Just unfathomable to see carnage'



A frantic father rushed to the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday after his son informed him there was a shooting at the mall in Texas. However, nothing would prepare the concerned dad for what he would encounter next.

Steven Spainhouer – a former police officer and former Army officer – received a call from his son on Saturday. His son – who works at the H&M store at the Allen Premium Outlets – told Spainhouer that there was an active shooting situation. He said that he couldn't contact 911 because the phone lines were busy.

Spainhouer instructed his son to shelter in place and to not open the door.

Spainhouer then raced to the outlet mall, which took him approximately six minutes. He was surprised to see that no police or EMTs were at the site of the shooting.

Spainhouer told KHOU, "I never imagined in 100 years I would be thrust into the position of being the first first responder on the site to take care of people."

"I found seven people shot in front of the store," Spainhouer told MSNBC. He called 911 and told them, "We have a mass casualty incident."

"The first girl I walked up to was crouched down covering her head in the bushes, so I felt for a pulse, pulled her head to the side and she had no face," he explained.

Speaking about the third victim he attempted to help, "I started chest compressions on him, he spit up blood, and then he just looked at me and expired in front of me."

"The others were too far gone," he said.

Spainhouer found a child who survived the mass shooting by being protected by his deceased mother.

He said, "So when I rolled the mother over, he came out, and I asked him, 'Are you OK?'"

The boy said, "My mom is hurt, my mom is hurt."

"So rather than traumatize him anymore, I put him around the corner, sat him down," Spainhouer recalled. "He was covered from head to toe, like somebody poured blood on him."

"No one can see what they saw today and not be affected by it. It's not a situation that I would wish upon anybody. It's just unfathomable to see the carnage," he said.

"It's tough when you see a family that's out shopping, having fun, then get wiped off the face of the Earth because somebody with a gun has some other type of issue," Spainhouer declared.

Eight people were shot and killed at the Allen Premium Outlets, located about 25 miles north of Dallas. There are at least seven others injured during the mass shooting.

Authorities have yet to release the name of the shooter.

WFAA reported that the suspect is in his 30s and lived with his parents in Dallas.

The outlet noted that the FBI questioned the family at their Dallas home, adding that investigators "have also asked for a translator."

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