What happened at Dulles Town Center? Police arrest Virginia mall shooting suspect who shot a 21-year-old at the shopping center

On Sunday, April 2, a shooting at Virginia's Dulles Town Center left a 21-year-old man injured.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office reported that 31-year-old Alan Colie is believed to have been behind the incident. Officials believe that the shooting was isolated and arose from a personal dispute.

Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violence. Reader's discretion is advised.

According to WJLA, the shooting occurred at around noon. Upon arriving at the scene, Virginia authorities found the 21-year-old victim near a Cheesecake factory after sustaining a serious gunshot wound.

Officials called fire and rescue teams before searching the mall for the suspect. On the second storey, they discovered Alan seated on the floor with his gun next to him. He surrendered to authorities without incident.

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Virginia Officials respond to the Dulles Town Center shooting

In an official press release, authorities stated that the victim was transported to Reston Trauma Center with a wound to his abdomen. Three others were also taken to local medical centers to ensure that they didn't sustain any major injuries.

Officials have not disclosed the motive behind the shooting. They reported that Alan Colie and the victim did not know each other prior to the altercation. According to NBC Washington, the suspect has been charged with use of a firearm, firearm discharge in a building, and aggravated malicious wounding.

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Gun violence in the US

The Virginia shooting is consistent with the trend of endemic gun violence across the country. As per ABC news, over 9800 people have been killed by firearms so far in 2023. The nation has also recorded more than 130 mass shootings. The small arms survey reported that there are 390 million guns in circulation in America.

The frequency of shooting incidents has polarized politicians. While democrats argue that lax gun laws are leading to the nation's high homicide rates, republicans claim that mental health issues are primarily to blame.

In an official statement, President Joe Biden said:

“I’m determined to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines."

On the other hand, in response to the high gun violence rates, Republican Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, said:

“We’ll be rolling out an entire behavioral health agenda that provides more resources, addresses the fact that we have staffing challenges in our mental health system."

Republicans such as Thomas Massie have argued that incidents such as mass shootings are not caused by the wide availability of guns in the country. Instead, he claimed that more people should be armed in order to protect themselves against active shooter situations.

Thomas Massie said:

"You know, there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry."

The Virginia shooting currently remains under investigation by local authorities.