Live updates: Allen gunman booted from Army over mental health; Texas may consider gun law

The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday apparently had been working as a security guard and was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2008 because of mental health issues, neighbors and an Army official told The Associated Press.

Mauricio Garcia, 33, was killed by police, ending the attack.

Garcia joined the Army in 2008 but was terminated three months later without completing his initial training, said Army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan, who said the Army doesn’t “provide characterization” for any soldier’s discharge.

According to an Army official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, though, Garcia was kicked out of the Army due to mental health issues.

Federal officials are looking into whether Garcia expressed an interest in white supremacist ideology, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official cautioned that the investigation is in its early stages.

Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts that they believe Garcia used, as well as posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Garcia also had a patch on his chest when he was killed by police that read “RWDS,” an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad,” which is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups, the official said.

In addition to reviewing social media posts, federal agents have interviewed family members and associates of Garcia to ask about his ideological beliefs, the official said. Investigators are also reviewing financial records, other online posts they believe Garcia made and other electronic media, according to the official.

Investigators search motel, home

A law enforcement official said investigators have been searching a Dallas motel near an interstate where Garcia had been staying. The official said police also found multiple weapons at the scene after Garcia was killed, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun.

Two law enforcement officials said investigators also searched a Dallas home connected to Garcia. They spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

A woman who lives three houses down from the low brick house said she saw a large group of uniformed officers go into the home Saturday between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“They went in like real fast, and I seen them do that like twice,” said Marsha Alexander, who said officers were still in the area when she went to bed around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. They were gone by Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon, a woman named Julie was sitting on the porch of her house, next door to the one searched the day before. She declined to give her last name to an AP reporter but said she awoke from a nap around 6 p.m. Saturday to see four police squad cars and a large group of officers outside her neighbor’s home.

She said they entered the home and were joined about an hour later by FBI agents and other people wearing plainclothes, who she also took to be law enforcement.

Texas may consider gun restriction

The Texas House Safety Selection Committee advanced a bill on a 8-5 vote Monday that would increase the the age for buying semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 22. The bill heads to the full House floor for consideration, but it must first be set on the calendar for debate by a separate committee.

“We are not done. This is a first step and it’s a win, but now we’ve got to go and get it through calendars,” Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah was killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School.

A House bill regulating private firearm sales, including background checks on certain sales, and another that creates a three day waiting period for firearm purchases weren’t voted out of the select committee on Monday, the deadline for House committees to pass House bills.

In the Senate, Gun safety bills proposed by Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat, include age restrictions on buying ammunition, a database for ammunition bought in bulk, high risk protective orders that would allow law enforcement to remove firearms from people who are a risk to themselves and others, required liability insurance for firearms and safe storage requirements for guns. None have had a committee hearing, according to a news release from his office.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Trey Martinez Fischer said during a Monday news conference that there are procedural rules that can be used to revitalize bills.

“We have three weeks, and we need to spend every single minute of every single day not giving up on them,” he said, gesturing behind him to a row of people whose loved ones were killed in the Uvalde shooting.

‘It doesn’t have to be this way’

Rep. Jeff Leach, whose district includes the Allen outlet mall that was the site of Saturday’s shooting, took the mic at the front of the House chamber to address the attack in his community.

As some have criticized calls for prayers from lawmakers amid calls for action on gun safety, Leach said he will never apologize for praying for those affected.

“I want to allow time before responding, as we so often do in these situations, responding with talking points or reactions, political statements,” he said. “There will be time for debates and deliberation and responses.”

There’s still a lot that’s unknown about the shooting, Leach said.

“But one thing I do know is that this is happening way too much, and it doesn’t have to be this way,” Leach said. “I don’t have the answers. I don’t have a bill in front of you. I’m not sure there are any bills in front of you this morning, this session that could have prevented this.

I don’t know. I don’t know. But I do know that it doesn’t have to be this way, and I also know that if there’s any deliberative body anywhere in this world that can discuss and deliberate on these issues thoughtfully, all of the potential solutions that we discuss… it’s this House.”

How many victims are there?

Seven people, including the shooter, died at the scene, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.

Nine victims were taken by ambulances to hospitals. Two of them died after arriving, creating a total of eight dead victims.

Three of the surviving victims were in critical condition, while four were stable.

Three members of a Korean American family were among the slain, the Yonhap News Agency reported. A couple and their 3-year-old son were shot dead. Another of the couple’s children was also shot and is being treated at a hospital.

The adults were Cho Kyu Song, 37, and Kang Shin Young, 35, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Sisters who attended Cox Elementary School in the Wylie Independent School District also died, according to WFAA-TV. Daniela Mendoza was in fourth grade, and Sofia Mendoza was in second grade.

The school district said the girls’ mother is in critical condition at a hospital.

Christian LaCour, a 20-year-old security guard from Farmersville, died as he worked at the mall, his sister Brianna Smith told ABC.

“He was a really sweet kid. I’m sad that he’s gone,” Smith said.

“Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation that our family feels,” one relative of LaCour wrote on Facebook. “There will forever be a void.”

LaCour’s grandmother also wrote a tribute on Facebook, saying that Christian was “a beautiful soul, 20 years old with goals for his future. I was so proud of him and so glad I got to see him 2 weeks ago.”

Garcia also killed Aishwarya Thatikonda, an engineer who lived in McKinney, WFAA-TV reported.

On Sunday, Allen police said four victims were at the Medical City McKinney hospital, one in fair condition and three in critical condition. Two more victims were in fair condition at Medical City Plano and Medical City Children’s Hospital. A seventh patient was being treated at an undisclosed location with no update on that person’s condition.

Medical City Healthcare system said it initially was treating eight patients between the ages of 5 and 61.

Read more about the victims here.

What’s known about the shooter

The Texas Department of Public Safety on Sunday identified the shooting suspect as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, of Dallas.

Witnesses said the shooter was dressed all in black with a tactical vest and carried a rifle. President Biden called it “an AR-15 style assault weapon.”

His gear “looked like a SWAT uniform without the letters ‘SWAT’ on it,” one woman told CBS 11.

Dashboard camera video circulating online appears to show the gunman get out of a gray Dodge Charger and immediately start shooting people on a sidewalk outside H&M. Witnesses said he fired dozens of rounds. The video appears to have been recorded from a witness’ car in the parking lot.

Authorities are still investigating the motive for the shooting.

FBI agents spent hours Saturday evening at a home in northeast Dallas where Garcia lived with his parents, WFAA-TV reported. Neighbors told WFAA that the suspect had lived there for as long as they could remember but that he had not been around in the past couple of weeks.

The FBI confirmed Sunday that agents have searched two locations connected to Garcia. WFAA reported that the other location was an extended-stay motel where the suspect had been living recently.

The motel was the Budget Suites, at 8150 N. Stemmons Freeway, according to The Dallas Morning News. A person who answered the phone at the motel on Sunday told the Star-Telegram that they could not comment.

Neighbors who spoke to WFAA described Garcia as quiet with unusual behavior. They said he always wore some kind of security guard uniform but they did not remember seeing him with a gun.

A license on the Texas Online Private Security database listed someone who appears to be the suspect as having worked for three different companies since acquiring a security license in the state in 2016. His last job is listed as ending in 2020, when the license expired. The database shows Garcia was certified in firearms proficiency.

The suspect was shot and killed by an officer outside the mall. Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said that an officer was on an unrelated call at the outlet mall at 3:36 p.m. when he heard gunshots and ran toward them.

“He engaged the suspect and neutralized the suspect,” Harvey said.

Video shared across social media showed the suspect lying dead outside the mall’s Fatburger restaurant. A rifle with an extended magazine lies next to his body. Law enforcement sources said they found multiple other weapons, including a handgun, either on him or in his car.

In the video, the shooter was wearing a body-armor vest with what appeared to be more than seven rifle magazines held in it. A tattoo on the shooter’s left hand looks to be the symbol of the City of Dallas. A pair of sunglasses with one of the lenses missing was lying next to the body.

In the video, the shooter was wearing all black with a jacket with white liner on the inside. Allen police vehicles could be seen in the parking lot.

Harvey said that police were not looking for other suspects and the gunman is believed to have acted alone.

Public records do not immediately indicate that Garcia had any prior criminal record in Dallas or Collin counties.

Sources also told WFAA that Garcia had been in the U.S. Army in 2008 but was removed due to mental health concerns.

Investigating the suspect’s motive

Federal officials are looking into whether the gunman expressed an interest in white supremacist ideology as they work to try to discern a motive for the attack, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Sunday. The official cautioned the investigation is in its early stages.

Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe Garcia used and posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Garcia also had a patch on his chest when he was killed by police that read “RWDS,” an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad,” which is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups, the official said.

In addition to reviewing social media posts, federal agents have interviewed family members and associates of Garcia to ask about his ideological beliefs, the official said.

Investigators are also reviewing financial records, other online posts they believe Garcia made and other electronic media, according to the official.

Where did the shooting happen?

The Allen Premium Outlets mall is about 30 miles north of Dallas and is owned by Simon Property Group.

It has about 120 stores. According to police radio reports and witnesses, victims were found near stores including H&M, Francesca’s and New Balance.

Allen Premium Outlets announced that the mall was closed Sunday.

Allen police said that people who left behind vehicles at the outlet mall could go to The Edge at Allen Station Park (201 E. St Mary Drive), on the west side of the senior center, on Sunday evening to board a shuttle to the mall to retrieve their vehicles. The park was to be open for that purpose from 5:45-9:30 p.m. Sunday. The service will resume from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the same location.

The outlets will remain closed, and no one will be allowed to enter any store.

Which law enforcement agencies responded?

The Allen Police Department led the initial response to the shooting. Federal and state authorities with ATF and the Texas Department of Public Safety also were on scene.

Collin County authorities and police from Frisco, McKinney and Wylie also responded to the mall.

Allen police said the FBI is assisting with collecting witnesses accounts and video. Police said that anyone who witnessed the shooting can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Witnesses are asked to upload any video or photos to fbi.gov/allenmallshooting.

The FBI confirmed in a statement that it was searching two locations connected to the shooter in conjunction with local law enforcement, Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the ATF. The FBI is “devoting all available resources” to the investigation including intelligence, digital forensics and victim services.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is now leading the investigation, according to the FBI.

“The public’s safety and a thorough investigation are paramount to all agencies involved,” DPS said in a news release Sunday.

Governor Abbott visits Allen Sunday

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke with Shannon Bream on FOX News Sunday and said he would be in Allen on Sunday to try to help the community heal.

Abbott attended a community prayer service at an Allen church Sunday evening but did not speak there.

“Obviously, this is just devastating. Texans are hurting today,” Abbott told FOX News. “The people who are hurting the most, obviously, are the families of the victims. Families who lost a loved one. Families who have a loved one who is injured.”

Bream asked Abbott if there are any gun reforms he would push for in Texas or national reforms he thinks should be considered by Congress.

“At the state level, this is something we’ve been grappling with over the past year,” Abbott said. “There are some potential easy solutions, such as passing laws that we are working on right now, to get the guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and increase penalties for criminals who possess guns.”

Abbott told FOX News that he expects the Texas legislature to approve $3 billion in mental health funding this session.

“There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of anger and violence that is taking place in America and what Texas is doing in a big time way — we are working to address that anger and violence at its root cause, which is the mental health problems behind it,” Abbott said.

President Biden calls for action

In a statement released on Twitter Sunday, President Joe Biden called for more action to save lives and the White House ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.

“Eight Americans, including children, were killed in Allen, Texas yesterday – the latest act of gun violence to devastate our nation,” Biden wrote. “Jill and I are praying for their families and those critically injured. We’re grateful to the first responders who acted quickly and courageously.”

“Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar,” the president said in the statement. “We need more action, faster to save lives”

“Once again, Congress must send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Biden said. “Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers. I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”

What local officials have said

In a statement, Allen Mayor Kenneth Fulk said, “We are a strong and caring community and we want all of the victims and their families impacted by this tragedy to know that we will wrap our arms around you, and we are here for you. The City of Allen pledges to offer our complete support. We know you are grieving, we are grieving. Rest assured, the nation and the world are also grieving.”

Help for the victims

GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub where it will link all verified fundraisers related to the shooting.

A Family Assistance Center will be open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday at the Allen Senior Recreation Center, at 451 St. Mary Drive. The center will offer mental health services, spiritual care, and possible financial support, according to an FBI news release.

LifePath Systems, the Collin County Mental Health Authority, is offering free counseling to the community. If you or someone you know needs assistance, call 972-422-5939 or visit the website at www.LifePathSystems.org.

This report contains material from The Associated Press.