Shooting at Texas outlet mall
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Investigators in Texas are looking into possible neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs of the gunman who killed eight in the mass shooting at a shopping mall in Allen.
Mauricio Garcia, 33, was identified as the shooter who drove to the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday afternoon and opened fire on innocent shoppers with an AR-15-style rifle.
Eight people, including three members of a family, died in the attack before the gunman was shot dead by a law enforcement officer.
The motive for the attack remains unknown but the gunman was wearing a patch reading “RWDS” – standing for Right Wing Death Squad – as he carried out the rampage.
Police sources told NBC News that Garcia – an Army veteran who worked as a security guard – posted neo-Nazi and white supremacist content online.
As details continue to emerge about the gunman, the victims are starting to be identified.
Christian LaCour, a 20-year-old security guard at the mall, Aishwarya Thatikonda, an engineer who was shopping at the time, parents Cindy and Kyu Cho as well as their three-year-old James were among the victims.
Community members pay tribute to the victims
Elementary school sisters are named among eight Texas mall shooting victims
Two more children have been identified among the eight victims who were fatally shot in the Allen, Texas mall shooting - sisters Daniela and Sofia Mendoza.
Daniela, a fourth grader, and Sofia, a second grader, were killed while at the Allen Premium Outlets with their mother, Ilda on Saturday, the Wylie Independent School District confirmed.
Ariana Baio reports:
Shooting victim in children’s hospital in ‘good’ condition
One person who was taken to Medical City Children’s Hospital has reportedly been upgraded from ‘fair condition’ to ‘good condition’ CNN reported.
The age of the patient and their name has not been released to the public.
Eight people were killed, ranging from three years old to 61 years old and seven more were injured.
Texas House advances bill that would raise age to purchase semi-automatic firearm
The Texas House Community Safety, Select Committee advanced a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase a certain semi-automatic rifle on Monday - just days after another mass shooting rocked the state.
In an 8-5 vote, the committee voted to send the bill to the House floor marking a rare milestone in gun control advocates’ fight to reduce mass shootings in Texas.
The bill, HB 2744, would make it an offense for anyone to knowingly sell, rent, lease, give or offer to sell, rent, lease or give a semiautomatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine and has a caliber greater than .22 to a person younger than 21 years old.
It also prevents the sale of a firearm or ammunition to a person who is intoxicated, under an active protective order or convicted of a felony within five years of being released from parole.
Ted Cruz hit with backlash over latest Texas shooting
Republican Senator Ted Cruz received a torrent of criticism after he tweeted his condolences after a mass shooting in Allen, Texas, killed eight people and left seven injured.
On Saturday, Mr Cruz tweeted his condolences and said he would be monitoring events unfolding after 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday afternoon.
“Heidi and I are praying for the families of the victims of the horrific mall shooting in Allen, Texas,” he tweeted out. “We pray also for the broader Collin County community that’s in shock from this tragedy.”
Eric Garcia reports:
Gunman was removed from US military training
Mauricio Garcia, the 33-year-old Texas man who killed eight people and injured seven after opening fire at a mall in Allen, Texas was removed from US Army training in 2008 due according to Heather J Hagan, US Army Public Affairs Spokeswoman.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Ms Hagan said, “Mauricio Garcia entered the regular Army in June 2008; he was terminated three months later without completing initial entry training. He was not awarded a military occupational specialty. He had no deployments or awards.”
She added that the Army does “not provide characterization of discharge for any soldier.”
However, an Army Official indicated that Garcia’s termination from training was under, “Other designated physical or mental conditions.”
Dallas newspaper urges Gov Abbott to act on gun violence
The mass shooting that occurred on Saturday is just the latest in a string of tragic episodes of gun violence in Texas.
After eight people were killed and seven injured in Allen, Texas, local newspaper The Dallas Morning News released an editorial on behalf of the news staff urging Governor Greg Abbott to do something about gun violence.
In the open letter, the newspaper’s editorial news criticised Governor Abbott for saying the shooting was “an unspeakable tragedy” rather than addressing gun violence.
“You responded that this was an “unspeakable tragedy.” We tell you that it was not unspeakable, and that the people of Texas need you to speak to it and its cause,” The Dallas Morning News wrote.
“There is nothing conservative about refusing to acknowledge evidence or give voice to the true nature of a problem,” they added.
Parents and three-year-old among shooting victims
Three members of an immediate family have been identified among the eight victims of the tragic mass shooting that took place in Allen, Texas on Saturday.
Cindy and Kyu Cho, as well as their three-year-old son, James, were killed after a gunman opened fire at the mall.
The family’s six-year-old son William is the only surviving member of the family.
A GoFundMe page has been started for the Cho family by their friends to help pay for their funerals and other expenses.
“An afternoon that should have been filled with light, love and celebration unfortunately was cut short by another mass shooting massacre that left 8 victims dead,” the GoFundMe page says.
Allen mall shooting is the second deadliest mass shooting in US this year
The Allen Premium Outlets mall shooting is the second deadliest mass shooting to occur in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive database.
After nine people were killed, including the shooter, Saturday’s mass shooting in Allen, Texas has become the second-deadliest to happen in the US after the Monterey Park, California shooting in January.
Communities Foundation of Texas organises donation fund
“In the coming days and weeks, families of victims and those impacted will require support for medical and funeral expenses, as well as grief and trauma counseling,” the Communities Foundation of Texas wrote.
The collection will benefit local nonprofits that provide mental health, grief and trauma support to victims an their families as well as first responders impacted.
The fund does not provide direct payments to individuals.
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2023-05-08 19:30:08Z
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