The Texas Rangers on Sunday were investigating a police pursuit in Killeen that ended in tragedy when a pickup driver slammed his truck into a JCPenney store and continued crashing through a crowded shopping mall before he was fatally shot by police officers, authorities said.

Sgt. Bryan Washko, spokesperson for the state Department of Pubic Safety, said at a briefing late Saturday that five people were injured, some seriously. The chase began Saturday at about 5 p.m. after police received a call concerning an erratic driver in a black pickup in Temple, about 25 miles from the eastern Texas city of Killeen, Washko said. A trooper located the pickup truck traveling westbound on I-14.

Washko said the fleeing pickup pulled into the mall parking lot and kept going through the department store's glass doors. Shoppers scrambled for safety as the vehicle careened for several hundred yards. State troopers along with local police, including off-duty officers, "engaged in gunfire" that ended in the driver's death, Washko said.

"It was not an active shooter as was initially reported," he said at a briefing late Saturday. "Somebody who was running from the law decided to drive through the Killeen Mall at Christmas time."

Four people were taken to hospitals by ambulance and a fifth person went on their own, Washko said. The injured ranged in age from 6 to 75, he said. The mall was crowded with Christmas shoppers, which "makes it worse. People were in here shopping for their families, friends, loved ones.... not a good day here in Killeen, Texas."

Mayor Debbie Nash-King issued a statement saying the city "has experienced a profoundly troubling incident that has shaken our community." She thanked first responders for their efforts at he scene.

"I urge everyone in our community to look out for one another, extend kindness, and prioritize safety during this season." she said. "Killeen is strong, and together, we will support those impacted by this tragedy and move forward united."

Killeen, a city of 150,000 people, is about 70 miles north of Austin. The Killeen Mall, located on a sprawling, 63-acres site, is home to almost 100 shops and restaurants.