Gunman suspected of killing eight at Texas outlet mall identified
Gunman dressed in tactical gear and armed with an AR-15 rifle shot dead eight and injured seven at Allen Premium Outlets before he was killed
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The gunman who murdered eight people at a Texas mall on Saturday has been identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, according to reports.
The suspect was shot dead by a police officer who was responding to an unrelated call, the Allen Police Department said.
Garcia, dressed in black body armour and armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, opened fire moments after arriving at the Allen Premium Outlets at around 3.30pm on Saturday, law enforcement sources told NBC News. CBS News, CNN and other local media also confirmed the gunman’s identity.
Hundreds of shoppers fled the large outdoor shopping centre as the gunman fired dozens of bullets indiscriminately at shoppers and passersby, authorities said.
Seven people, including the gunman, were pronounced dead at the scene, and two more died after being taken to hospital, the Allen Police Department said.
Seven other wounded victims aged from five to 61 were taken to hospital, including three who were in a critical condition on Saturday night.
Police have not released a possible motive, but Garcia was wearing a patch on his chest that suggested he may have had neo-Nazi or white supremacist beliefs, law enforcement sources told the Washington Post.
Garcia had several weapons including an AR-15 rifle and a handgun on him and in his car, the Post reported.
According to CBS News reporter JD Miles, Garcia was a security guard with no serious criminal record.
He had been living in a motel at the time the shooting, Mr Miles said.
FBI agents raided a Dallas home where Garcia had been living with his parents for years, according to Fox News.
Officers were stationed outside the address on Sunday. The suspect’s family reportedly requested a translator to speak with authorities.
Dashcam video circulating on social media appeared to show the gunman getting out of a grey sedan just outside the mall’s entrance and immediately begin shooting at passersby in the carpark.
More than three dozen shots could be heard on the footage.
Witnesses told CNN that panicked shoppers screamed and hid behind cars as the suspect shot indiscriminately.
Inside the mall, families and employees rushed to take cover in storage areas and hallways, witnesses said.
President Joe Biden implored Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and enact universal background checks.
“Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who recently signed laws easing gun restrictions, called the mall shooting an “unspeakable tragedy.”
His comments were met with anger from gun safety advocates, and state and national lawmakers.
Roland Gutierrez, a Texas state senator, told MSNBC there was a “special place in hell” for lawmakers who do nothing to stem the unprecedented wave of gun violence.
“I don’t care about their thoughts and I don’t care about their prayers,” Mr Gutierrez said.