What to Know About Mauricio Garcia, the Texas Mall Massacre Suspect Killed by Police
DALLAS — The gunman who killed at least eight people and injured half a dozen others at a Dallas-area mall was a 33-year-old suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer, two senior law enforcement officials said Sunday .
Allen police on Sunday identified the shooter as Mauricio Garcia. Garcia was killed Saturday by a police officer who was at Allen Premium Outlets, about 25 miles north of Dallas, police said.
The shooter, who lived in Dallas, was armed with an “AR-15 type assault weapon,” President Joe Biden said.
He was wearing a tactical vest and also had a handgun, one of the law enforcement officials said.
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Other weapons and ammunition were found in his car, the source said. He wore a patch on his chest with a right-wing symbol at the time of the massacre.
A preliminary examination of what are believed to be the shooter’s social media accounts reveals hundreds of posts containing racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi material and material espousing white supremacy, two said. senior law enforcement officials.
Officials said the investigation is continuing. Preliminary examination revealed that the shooter’s social media posts were not liked or shared by other users.
Police and the Texas Rangers, in conjunction with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are investigating the shooting as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism, two senior law enforcement officials said. laws.
Authorities believe the shooter acted alone, one of the officials said. Investigators are questioning his relatives and friends.
It is the second deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year and the second in Texas in just over a week.
A neighbor of the suspect, who asked to be identified only as Julie, said she would see Garcia come and go from work every day like clockwork.
“He tried to recognize us but seemed a little off,” Julie said. “He wasn’t someone you could have a conversation with.”
Julie said she was stunned when she learned the identity of the suspect.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out,” she said.
Another neighbour, Gilda Bailey, said three police cars were parked outside her house when she returned home. She said they would not let the suspect’s relatives into the residence and she later saw the FBI remove items from Garcia’s home.
“I don’t understand what triggered it,” Bailey said.
Another neighbor said living so close to a suspected mass killer was “chilling”.
“Just living a few houses away from someone who can do that can be a bit scary and give you extra caution,” said Moises Carreon, 52. “I don’t know why people want to shoot innocent people for whatever reason. ”
Deon J. Hampton reported from Dallas. Jonathan Dienst and Corky Siemaszko reported from New York, and Ken Dilanian reported from Washington.