While it’s sad to have to go through this exercise yet again, there are confirmed reports of another mass shooting, this time in Texas. At a Walmart in El Paso, a gunman has killed or injured multiple people before being taken into custody by authorities. (NBC News)

Multiple people are dead, with at least 18 taken to hospitals Saturday after a shooting near a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, law enforcement officials said. One suspect, a man, is in custody, police said.

A second person was also taken into custody by authorities, but it is not immediately known what role, if any, the person played in the shooting, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.

What we know so far:

The shooting took place in a Walmart and around the nearby Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso.
Police received their first calls on the incident slightly past 10 a.m. local time.
At least 18 people were taken to hospitals and multiple people are dead.
One male suspect is in custody, along with a second person whose suspected role in the shooting was not immediately known.

We may at least get more answers about this shooting than with some other recent attacks because the shooter is allegedly in custody and alive. Whether or not the second “person of interest” was even involved wasn’t immediately known.

The problem with leaping into these stories as soon as they break is that the unknowns outweigh the available facts. The cops are no doubt doing a thorough investigation and they will not tip their hand to the press to satisfy the many questions being tossed at them until they know that everyone else in the community is safe, that no more dangerous suspects are on the loose, and that the family members of victims have been properly notified.

There’s always a tendency to leap into the hot takes with such events, but it does us no favors. This could have been terrorism (foreign or domestic), some mentally ill individual, or a disgruntled employee or spurned lover. There’s no sense guessing until we have the details that will emerge in the coming hours, days and weeks. Let’s all focus on rescue and recovery until things are more fully fleshed out. We will update as required or start a new thread as the situation warrants.

One early hint from the scene.

https://twitter.com/Anna_Giaritelli/status/1157743491545477125

This appears to be confirmed at this point. The shooter has been identified.

BREAKING: Sources: El Paso Shooter 21-Year-Old Patrick Crusius Lived In North Texas, Attended Frisco High School: https://t.co/qXGN6eY1xG pic.twitter.com/5bHamG2HnV

— CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) August 3, 2019

Sounds like they’ve identified the shooter and will seek maximum charges, per NBC and other outlets.

Officials says they are considering capital murder charges…so the death penalty for the 21 year old man in custody.

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) August 3, 2019