(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The gunman who murdered eight individuals and left seven others critically injured before being killed by an officer at a parking lot of a Texas mall has been identified as Mauricio Garcia.
Garcia, a 33-year-old security guard, allegedly lived in a motel and did not have prior convictions, local media reported.
The gunman, dressed in all-black tactical gear, was gunned down by an officer who was present at the scene for an unrelated call. A harrowing video capturing the tragic incident surfaced online, depicting Garcia sprawled on the floor, his body drenched in a pool of blood.
Note: The video below may be considered graphic and upsetting to some. It is Headline USA’s policy to use its platform to stigmatize and shame mass murderers as a means of social deterrence even after they have paid the ultimate consequence.
Law enforcement officials raided a Dallas home overnight belonging to Garcia’s parents. CBS News reporter J.D. Miles said Garcia’s younger brother, Christian, was wrongly accused of being the mass shooter because of his lengthy criminal record.
#Breaking multiple sources tell me the Allen Outlet mall shooter’s name is Mauricio Garcia. He was 33. A house that was raided in Dallas overnight was his parents. Sources tell me he was living in a motel. He had no serious criminal record and was working as a security guard pic.twitter.com/tTk138GmxM
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) May 7, 2023
According to the leftist Washington Post, investigators at the scene found a sign on the man’s chest that said “RWDS,” an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad. But several others allege that Garcia was an undocumented immigrant.
Headline USA couldn’t independently verify the veracity of these claims.
“Reports of the shooter have been circulating that the shooter was an illegal immigrant, but I CANNOT confirm this,” said conservative commentator Nick Sortor on Sunday.
🚨 BREAKING: Allen, TX shooter that killed 9 and injured 7 at a shopping mall identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia.
The victims range from 5 to 61 years old.
Reports of the shooter have been circulating that the shooter was an illegal immigrant, but I CANNOT confirm this pic.twitter.com/txGfZed3Uq
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 7, 2023
Nonetheless, the effort by mainstream media to frame the mass shooting as a right-wing attack under dubious circumstances drew strong backlash on Twitter, with many users pointing to the fact that it was, at the very least, premature.
Meet the white supremacist neo-Nazis next door: pic.twitter.com/VG2eof5zlE
— Aimee Terese (@aimeeterese) May 8, 2023
Cmon it’s the Que que Que pic.twitter.com/eoixVp0Jn2
— Justine (@BruinJustine) May 8, 2023
Although Latinos traditionally have fallen under the “Caucasian” category in racial demographics, the U.S. census recently implemented measures to stop characterizing them as “white.”
Moreover, some raised questions as to whether Garcia may have displayed gang-affiliated tattoos.
Valluco 956 RGV (RioGrandeValley) part of the Tango Blast from the Valley. pic.twitter.com/hT6Z4qneYi
— Blue Canaries 🇧 (@CanariesBlue) May 8, 2023
And others pointed out the shocking coincidences—including physical appearance—between the Garcia who was neutralized at the scene of the shooting and another man—appearing to be black—who was arrested previously.
UPDATE AND CORRECTION
Police says Mauricio Garcia is 33 years old. That means all the photos on twitter are INCORRECT.
Why, because the Mauricio Garcia being shown on twitter is 36 years old, with birthdate 10-29-1986.https://t.co/i1eYe9N15R pic.twitter.com/vynzw298kr
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 8, 2023
A spokesperson for Medical City Healthcare, a local hospital, told Fox-affiliated Fox 4 Dallas that they are treating eight victims aged between 5 and 61.
A mother described the harrowing scene to local reports Saturday.
“We were outside the Converse Store and we just heard all this popping,” Elaine Penicaro said to Fox 4. “We kind of all just stopped, and then a second later, just ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,’ and there were sparks flying like it was right in front of us.”
Media: The Texas mass shooter might be a "white supremacist" with "neo-Nazi beliefs."
Reality: pic.twitter.com/npgnsNUE9R
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) May 7, 2023
President Joe Biden took to Twitter to react to the mass shooting.
“Eight Americans, including children, were killed in Allen, Texas yesterday – the latest act of gun violence to devastate our nation,” Biden said Sunday. “Jill and I are praying for their families and those critically injured. We’re grateful to the first responders who acted quickly and courageously.”
