The Allen Police Department is rejecting the testimony of a man who claimed to vividly remember the aftermath of the Allen, Texas, mass shooting. According to his account, he provided assistance to the victims before the arrival of law enforcement. The police are discrediting his account.
On May 6, 2023, a shooter began firing at the Allen Premium Outlets, resulting in eight fatalities and leaving seven others injured.
Steven Spainhouer, a former U.S. Army officer, claims he rushed to outlets upon receiving a call from his son, Freddie, who heard gunshots while working at H&M. Local Profile attempted to contact Spainhouer but did not receive a response prior to publishing.
Spainhouer claims he did not see police or an ambulance when he arrived on the scene, so he began giving assistance to the victims. Spainhouer told WFAA he went to a victim who was near the bushes and covering her head. He claims he felt for a pulse and didn't feel one. According to Spainhouer, when he turned her head, "she had no face.”
Spainhouer also said he then tried to perform a chest compression on another victim, but the victim died. He said then saw a four-year-old beneath another victim and allegedly pulled the boy out.
But the Allen Police discredited all of Spainhouer’s claims, calling him a “not credible witness,” and said his statements were “inaccurate.” In an official statement, the police said Spainhouer was not first on the scene and did not perform CPR on any of the victims. The statement also said Spainhouer did not move a deceased mother on top of a child.
“Inconsistencies between these public accounts and investigative facts led Allen Police Department to conduct a follow-up interview,” the Allen Police Department’s statement said. “During this interview, detectives determined that Mr. Spainhouer is not a credible incident witness.”
Spainhouer corroborated the interview and said the police also interviewed his son, allegedly asking about his education and if he was on any medication. “I am simply at a loss for words,” Spainhouer said. “Freddie was a hero in my eyes, and then gets questioned by the Allen Police.”
Spainhouer responded to the statement by the Allen Police Department and continued to support his original claims.
“I have seen the Allen Police Department press release about me,” Spainhouer said. “I am hurt and disappointed… I did not move any victims, except the first one I found to check on her. A small child pulled himself from under a victim and I assisted him to a safe space away from the area.”
The Allen Police Department did not publicly respond to Spainhouer's response to the statement.
"Mr. Spainhouer is free to respond to the press release how he sees fit," Sergeant Jonathan Maness told Local Profile.
