Authorities Working to Link Hispanic Gunman Behind Texas Mall Attack to White Supremacy
Authorities and media outlets are linking a Hispanic man responsible for a deadly rampage at a Texas outlet mall over the weekend to white supremacy.
On Saturday, police say, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets north of Dallas, WFAA-TV reported.
Eight people were shot to death and several others were wounded before a police officer who responded to the scene shot and killed Garcia.
While his motives are not yet known, NBC News — citing two law enforcement sources — reported Garcia was a “suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer.”
The killer wore a patch at the time of the massacre that said “RWDS,” which law enforcement sources have said might stand for “Right Wing Death Squad,” the report said.
WFAA quoted sources as saying Garcia “espoused an extremist right-wing ideology and disliked people of color and Jews.”
The Associated Press reported federal authorities were looking into the former security guard’s use of social media for any links to “white supremacy.”
According to KDFW-TV, Garcia joined the Army in 2008 but never completed basic training “due to mental health issues.”
Investigators were interviewing his associates as they attempted to learn more about him.
The AP reported Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said of the investigation that police “actually don’t have a lot.”
Police searched a home in the Dallas area and also a motel where Garcia was living over the weekend.
His victims included a white man, three members of an Asian-American family, two Hispanic elementary school students and a woman from India, according to KDFW.
We are beginning to learn the names and see the faces of the victims of Saturday’s shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets. https://t.co/GHFhSDTwus
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) May 8, 2023
Police said Garcia was wearing a tactical vest when he opened fire Saturday, the AP reported.
He was in possession of both a rifle and a handgun, they said, and additional ammunition was found in his car near the scene.
President Joe Biden called for more gun control immediately after the shooting took place and attacked Republicans for responding to the massacre through prayer.
“Too many families have empty chairs at their dinner tables. Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug,” he said in a statement. “Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
There it is. I was waiting on the narrative to be placed on the back of this tragedy.
— Jason Stafford (@Skeletor_2196) May 8, 2023
“Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” the president said. “Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers. I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”
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