The shooter who killed at least eight people and injured half a dozen at a shopping mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday (6) was a 33-year-old neo-Nazi sympathizer, according to local police officials.
He was identified as Mauricio Garcia, a resident of Dallas, and was armed with an AR-15 while wearing a tactical vest. He was shot dead on Saturday by a police officer who was at the Allen Premium Outlets, about 25 miles north of Dallas.
More weapons and ammunition were found in his car, police said. At the time of the massacre, he was wearing a patch on his chest that included the acronym “rwds.” Authorities believe the letters stand for “right-wing death squad,” a phrase used in far-right online spaces.
A preliminary review of what is believed to be the shooter’s social media accounts reveals hundreds of posts that include violent extremist rhetoric with racial or ethnic motivation, including neo-Nazi material and material advocating white supremacy.
Authorities believe the shooter acted alone. Investigators are interviewing Garcia’s relatives and friends but are treating the shooting as a case of violent extremism with racial or ethnic motivation.
A summary of what is known so far about this latest shooting in the United States:
• A shooter opened fire in a mall in the Dallas suburb of Allen, Texas, on Saturday (6) – the latest mass shooting in the United States.
• More than a dozen victims: at least eight people were killed and seven others were injured in the massacre, local authorities said.
• A police officer killed the shooter: an officer was already at the mall for an unrelated action when the shooting began. This officer followed the sound of the gunfire, tracked down the shooter, and killed him.
• The shooter was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and had at least one other weapon with him when he was shot dead by the officer. Police also found several weapons in his car.
This is one of over 200 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter.
Source: CBS News and CNN