Mauricio Garcia, the gunman who opened fire at an Allen, Texas, mall on Saturday, may have been motivated by extremist and “white supremacist” beliefs, law enforcement sources claimed on Sunday. The 33-year-old used an AR-15-type rifle to murder eight people and injure seven more at the Allen Premium Outlets before a police officer shot and killed him.
Law enforcement sources told the Washington Post that Garcia “may have had white supremacist or neo-Nazi beliefs,” citing social media accounts supposedly belonging to the shooter that contained extensive content espousing violent extremist ideologies.
No links or images of those profiles have been reproduced for public view, and it is not clear whether they actually belonged to the shooter, as the accounts had no ‘friends’ or ‘likes’ tying them to any of Garcia’s family members or acquaintances. Others have questioned why Garcia, a Hispanic man whose parents did not speak English, would espouse white supremacist beliefs.
A patch on Garcia’s tactical vest with the letters RWDS has been interpreted to signify ‘Right Wing Death Squad,’ allegedly an acronym commonly in use among extremist groups, though images of the shooter’s body at the scene do not show any patch. The same sources claimed Garcia was armed with multiple weapons and had five more in his car, and that he was equipped with seven rifle magazines.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton questioned the characterization of the shooter as a “white supremacist” or “neo-Nazi,” explaining law enforcement had not told him any such thing during a Saturday briefing.
A tattoo on Garcia’s hand is believed to show the City of Dallas logo, which law enforcement sources told Newsmax may indicate potential gang involvement, specifically a prison gang called Puro Tango Blast. However, Garcia has no significant criminal history and is not believed to have spent time in prison.
“We actually don’t have a lot” by way of evidence, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey confirmed to Associated Press on Sunday.
A security guard who normally lived with his parents, Garcia was reportedly residing at an extended-stay hotel in the area at the time of the shooting. He had served in the army in 2008 only to be “removed due to mental health concerns,” law enforcement sources told local media. Neighbors described his behavior as “very unusual.”