Global Courant 2023-05-08 03:12:42
DALLAS — The gunman who killed at least eight people and wounded another six at an outlet mall in the Dallas area was a 33-year-old suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer named Mauricio Garcia, two senior law enforcement officials said Sunday.
Garcia was killed Saturday by a police officer who happened to be at Allen Premium Outlets about 25 miles north of Dallas, police said.
Garcia, who lived in Dallas, was armed with an “AR-15 style assault weapon,” President Joe Biden said.
He was wearing a tactical vest and also had a gun, one of the senior law enforcement officials said.
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More guns and ammunition were found in his car, the source said.
In addition, law enforcement officials said, Garcia had several social media accounts and appeared to be attracted to neo-Nazi and white supremacist content. He wore a patch on his chest with a dexter abbreviation. But officials stressed it was too early in the investigation to attribute motive.
It was the second deadliest mass shooting in the US this year and the second in Texas in just over a week.
A neighbor of the suspect, who only wanted to be identified as Julie, said she would see Garcia going to and from work every day like clockwork.
“He tried to acknowledge us, but seemed a little off,” Julie said. “He wasn’t someone you could have a conversation with.”
Julie said she was stunned when she learned the suspect’s identity.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out,” she said.
Another neighbor, Gilda Bailey, said three police cars were parked in front of his house when she got home. She said they would not allow the suspect’s relatives into the residence and that she later saw the FBI remove items from Garcia’s home.
“I don’t understand what triggered him,” Bailey said.
Another neighbor said it was “horrifying” to live so close to a suspected mass murderer.
“Just the thought of living a few houses away from someone who can do this can be a little scary and make you more cautious,” says Moises Carreon, 52. “I don’t know why people are innocent for any reason. people want to shoot.”
Deon J. Hampton reported from Dallas. Jonathan Dienst and Corky Siemaszko reported from New York and Ken Dilanian reported from Washington.
