The Texas gunman who murdered eight people in a mass shooting at an Allen mall wore a “Right Wing Death Squad” patch on his chest and may have held white supremacist beliefs, says a report by CNN.
Law enforcement said that Mauricio Garcia, 33, jumped out of a silver car and opened fire on a crowd of shoppers with an AR-15 rifle on Saturday afternoon at the Allen Premium Outlets in the city of Allen.
Seven people died at the scene and two more were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, Allen authorities said.
While no official motivation for the killings has been given by police, investigators are looking at the shooter’s possible far-right political beliefs as a motive for the shooting, the network reports.
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Garcia, who was wearing black body armor during his attack, was also shot and killed by a police officer who was already at the mall responding to another situation and heard gunshots and “engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat,” Allen police chief Brian Harvey told reporters.
Witnesses said the gunman’s tactical vest was crammed with ammunition clips.
Garcia, a security guard with no serious criminal record, was wearing an insignia that authorities believe may be associated with extremist groups, the report states.
Investigators have unearthed an extensive social media presence, including neo-Nazi and White supremacist-related posts and images that authorities believe Garcia shared online, CNN reported, citing a law enforcement source.
