A gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas, killing eight and wounding seven more over the weekend.
The Allen Police Department identified the shooter as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, who was killed at the scene by an officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call.
According to Police Chief Brian Harvey, the officer heard gunshots at the mall around 3:30 PM on May 6.
“We believe at this point the shooter acted alone,” Harvey said at a press conference on Saturday night. Harvey asked any witnesses or people with video of the attack to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“This is an ongoing active investigation,” said Harvey.
At least one of the wounded victims ultimately died after being transported to a hospital nearby, bringing the total number of fatalities to nine. At least three victims are reported to be in critical condition. The victims ranged in age from 61 to five years old.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the first responder who ran toward the gunfire,” said Congressman Keith Self, who represents Texas’s 3rd Congressional district, at the press conference.
Several news outlets, including The Independent and CBS News, have claimed the shooter has “possible neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs.” Police have neither confirmed these claims nor released a motive.
According to WFAA, Garcia had been a licensed security guard and had worked for an aluminum supply company. The outlet noted that FBI agents raided a house in northeast Dallas that belonged to Garcia’s parents, who requested a translator.
Authorities also executed a search warrant at an Extended Stay where Garcia had been living. Neighbors have told reporters Garcia drove a grey Dodge Charger, which was seen being searched by police in aerial footage of the outlet mall taken after the shooting.
Garica is said to have been wearing black tactical gear and carrying both a handgun and an AR-15.
According to The Independent, “dashcam video circulating on social media appeared to show the gunman getting out of a grey sedan just outside the entrance of the Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling centre on the outskirts of Dallas, and immediately shoot at passersby in the carpark.”
Witnesses reported seeing several bodies covered in white sheets near the mall’s H&M.
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas tonight during this unspeakable tragedy,” said Governor Greg Abbott in a press release. “I have been in contact with Mayor Fulk and DPS Director McCraw as well as other state and local leaders and offered the full support of the State of Texas to local officials to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including DPS officers, Texas Rangers, and investigative resources.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both called for increased gun regulation in their published responses the day after the shooting.
In his remarks, Biden said:
Since I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law and took two dozen executive actions to stem the tide of gun violence, we have made some progress. States are banning assault weapons, expanding red flag laws and more — but it’s not enough. We need more action, faster to save lives.
Too many families have empty chairs at their dinner tables. Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug. Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough.
“While there is much we do not yet know about this attack, here is what we do know: all Americans deserve to be safe from gun violence. But they are not,” said Harris in her statement.
