White nationalist or neo-Nazi ideologies may have been held by the shooter who opened fire on an outlet mall in a Dallas suburb on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring another seven, according to people involved with the investigation, the Washington Post reports.
Mauricio Garcia, a 33-year-old local, may have had white nationalist sympathies based on the patch he was sporting on his chest at the time of the shooting. No official reason has yet been given by the authorities.
Garcia had at least one more weapon on him at the time of his deadly shooting, in addition to the AR-15-style rifle discovered next to him. Several guns were also discovered by the cops in his car. Garcia was residing in a Dallas extended-stay hotel in the area.
Before being shot and killed by a police officer who was at the mall responding to a different call, the shooter also injured at least seven others, among them a 5-year-old child. Several witnesses say a person in a security uniform was among those who died, but it was unclear whether the guard was on duty at the time.
Brian Harvey, the Allen Police Chief, said on Saturday that authorities believe that the shooter acted alone and that no more threats exist. Investigators are primarily focused on determining whether anyone was aware of the shooter’s plans.
