The Allen Police Department has discredited Steven Spainhouer, a witness who gained national attention after the mass shooting outside the Allen Premium Outlets in early May.
Spainhouer's gruesome account of the aftermath of the shooting was widely circulated. He claimed to have arrived at the scene before first responders and administered first aid to victims, including a 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."
However, the Allen Police Department released a statement on Friday questioning Spainhouer's credibility. The department said that his public comments do not match the evidence. "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.
Police had refuted Spainhouer's claim that he arrived before first responders and provided first aid, like CPR, to victims. They also said he did not uncover a boy under his dead mother.
Moreover, police had denied Spainhouer's claim that it was still an active-shooter situation when he arrived. Police said they neutralized the perpetrator four minutes after the shots began at 3:36 p.m. Spainhouer did not arrive until between 3:44 and 3:52 p.m.
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 said is invalid.
The incident at the Allen Premium Outlets left one person dead and several others injured. The perpetrator, 22-year-old Eliazar Flores, was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Login