Fleeing driver shot dead after driving into Texas mall

A fleeing driver who drove a pickup truck into a busy JCPenney store in Texas, injuring five people has been shot dead by law enforcement.

Four of the injured people were taken from the Killeen mall to hospitals and the fifth went on their own, Sergeant Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a Saturday evening media briefing.

The victims ranged in age from six to 75 and their conditions were not immediately known.

Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department said the incident began with calls about an erratic driver in a black pickup in Belton, about 30km away.

The chase began around 5pm on Interstate 14, according to Washko.

The driver pulled off and drove into the mall's parking lot, crashed into the department store and continued driving, Washko said.

Local law enforcement at the mall — one working security and two others who were off duty — also traded gunfire with the suspect, he said.