El Paso police respond to shooting inside Cielo Vista Mall

El Paso police are investigating a shooting Wednesday evening at the food court inside Cielo Vista Mall, officials said.

The El Paso Police Department as issued a citywide tactical alert as numerous agencies respond to the mall.

A large police presence is at the mall searching for the shooter. The shooting occurred about 5 p.m. The public is asked by police officials to stay away from the area.

There is more than one person injured as teams of law enforcement officers work to clear the mall.

Some customers and mall employees are taking shelter inside the mall.

El Paso police respond to a report of a shooting at the food court at Cielo Vista Mall on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

There are dozens of police officers, some armed with rifles, inside and around Cielo Vista Mall and the neighboring Fountains of Farah shopping center.

Cellphone videos posted on social media showed customers running out of the mall into the parking lot as police rushed to the scene. A young man was detained nearby.

Cielo Vista Mall is next to the Walmart store where a gunman killed 23 people on Aug. 3, 2019. The Walmart shooter pleaded guilty last week to federal hate crime charges in the mass shooting targetings Latinos.

*This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police respond to shooting inside Cielo Vista Mall food court